Retiring CBS journalist Bob Schieffer made what is perhaps the understatement of the year when he said of the media that "maybe we were not skeptical enough" of Barack Obama when he burst on the political scene in 2008.

Politico:

CBS’ Bob Schieffer says that perhaps reporters in the media “were not skeptical enough” of President Barack Obama as a presidential candidate in 2008, telling Fox News’ Howard Kurtz that the whole political world was struck by the sudden rise of the senator from Illinois.

Asked whether the media gave Obama an “incredibly easy ride” when he broke onto the scene, the veteran newsman acknowledged that it’s the job of reporters to be skeptical of political figures..

“I don’t know. Maybe we were not skeptical enough. It was a campaign,” Schieffer said in the interview, which aired Sunday, adding that it is the role of the opponents to “make the campaign.”

“I think, as journalists, basically what we do is watch the campaign and report what the two sides are doing,” he said.

Schieffer also defended the media's cozying up to politicians:

Schieffer said that maybe people like him were too cozy with people in power, but at least back in the days when that was prevalent, people knew each other, were friendly to each other, and “the town worked a lot better.”

Skepticism of Obama back in 2008 would have been nice, but I think most Republicans would have settled for a little fairness in coverage – especially of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.  And, of course, despite mountains of evidence that Obama is an incompetent, radical demogogue, he is still getting the benefit of glowing coverage by a fawning media.

Schieffer has had his moments over the 24 years he moderated Face the Nation – both good and bad.  His replacement, CBS political director John Dickerson, will start sometime in June.