With even John McCain backing off on Benghazi, Fox News is holding strong. When jolly-bearded The Generals author Thomas Ricks dared to dub the network’s coverage of Libya “hyped” on-air this morning, Fox cut the interview short and called him “rude,” the military reporter told the Times. “I think that the emphasis on Benghazi has been extremely political, partly because Fox was operating as a wing of the Republican Party,” Ricks explained during his unexpectedly brief segment, breaking the channel’s strict no-criticism pact. “All right,” said host Jon Scott automatically, with a tight-lipped grin, “thanks very much for joining us today.” Ricks, with a bigger smile, said, “You’re welcome.”
