Seth Mendel at Contentions brings us this little telling byplay between CBS White House correspondent Nora O'Donnell and press secretary Jay Carney:

White House press secretary Jay Carney​ was clearly in an upbeat mood during today's press briefing. Many of the reporters in the room, however, were not feeling the love.

Specifically, CBS's Norah O'Donnell peppered Carney with terse, accusatory questions about the lack of tax revenue (read: tax increases) in the debt ceiling deal. O'Donnell complained about how many GOP demands were met by the deal, and then said to Carney: "You gave them everything they wanted and we got nothing." That "we" is very telling. It was a tense moment in the room, and O'Donnell seemed to give voice to frustrated liberals who feel that the deal gave significantly more to Republicans than Democrats, and included no tax increases-something President Obama​ had demanded be included for most of the negotiations.

O'Donnell asked Carney about this a couple times, in a confrontational tone. Fox's Ed Henry broke the tension by following O'Donnell's questions by jokingly asking, "But Jay, where is the tax revenue?" to laughter from the room (and especially from a relieved Carney, suddenly more comfortable with Fox than he usually is). The moment encapsulated the left's reaction to the deal. The New Republic's John Judis wrote this morning: "Democrats in Congress, and any Republicans who have not lost their senses, should turn this deal down."

The sense of outrage on the left over the deal - because they see it as a political loss more than anything - was indeed encapsulated by O'Donnell's telling slip. And what does it say when even the fig leaf of objective journalism is tossed aside to reveal rank partisanship in the press?

Hat Tip: Ed Lasky