Signs of things to come for media access?

Sen. Obama’s campaign is not used to being directly asked tough questions by the press. That’s largely due to their admiration of him.

In the future, it may be due to lack of access. Swift retribution against tough questioners does set an example.

WFTV’s Barbara West sat down to interview Joe Biden and left the interview in the cross hairs of the Obama campaign. The trouble started with her asking Biden questions the Obama camp didn’t like.

It ended, abruptly, with the Obama camp pulling the plug on that station’s ability to get future interviews.

The Obama campaign cried foul. This was off limits. No way is it fair to ask these kinds of questions of this campaign. They promptly canceled an interview that was scheduled for Jill Biden, Joe’s wife and wrote a letter of outrage to the station manager.

“This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election,” wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign.

McGinnis said the Biden cancellation was “a result of her husband’s experience yesterday during the satellite interview with Barbara West.”

An unpleasant experience? Funny, until Joe Biden joined the Obama campaign, he had plenty of experience with media interrogations.

The White House Press Briefings may be in for a major overhaul if pleasant experiences are the only ones tolerated in an Obama presidency.