JOHN PODHORETZ: Shut Up, They Explained: Romney’s Day. “Romney can be criticized for attacking it. Romney can be criticized for what he said, for his wording, for his ideas. He can be faulted for his timing—although such criticism is really only about style and political smarts, not substance. But the onslaught yesterday wasn’t about that. What Mark Halperin calls ‘the gang of 500’—-the world of conventional opinion-—was saying one thing and one thing only to Mitt Romney, and that was: You are not to speak.”

They defend Obama like crazed Muslims defend the Koran. No criticism can be seen as legitimate, because they have invested everything.

Related: The Media Lash Out.

Meanwhile, Romney’s back in the lead in the Rasmussen tracking poll. He’s also ahead by 3 in Florida.

UPDATE: Obama Echoes Carter With ‘Shoot First’ Criticism of Romney. As I’ve been saying, at this point a Carter rerun is a best-case scenario.

MORE: Media Does What Romney Couldn’t, Solidifies Republican Support.

MORE STILL: Reader Arthur Barie writes:

Glenn, you know what you’re not seeing in all these stories criticizing Romney’s statement?

Romney’s statement.

Can’t let a clear defense of the 1st Amendment, and of American interests leak out into the public eye.

It’s all about the narrative.