By Michael Goodwin In its otherwise glorious history, the Oval Office has suffered its share of scoundrels. Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon, to name just two, certainly left distinctive stains. Yet Barack Obamaâs conduct puts him in a class of one. Day in, day out, he diminishes the traditions of an office that, starting with George Washington, were created to keep the presidency above the soiling scrum of partisan politics. No. 44 specializes in a small-mindedness fueled by arrogance and contempt. So much so that, if he loses this election, heâll already have earned the title for his next book: âHoney, I Shrunk the Presidency.â Let us count the ways. He has attended more fund-raisers than any president in history, turning Air Force One into a collection shuttle. He stands behind the grand seal of the United States of America to level scurrilous attacks on his opponent, by name, and even names the opposing vice-presidential candidate. Heâs more respectful when he talks of Iranâs mad mullahs. He leaks classified information for political gain, then feigns shock over complaints. Oh, and he lies virtually every time he appears in public. All these offenses against decency are now in service to his campaign, an enterprise that turns grubbier by the minute. All were on display during his press conference Monday. His appearance surprised the press corps, which was bellyaching that he had ignored its questions for two months while yukking it up during softball interviews with star-struck radio and local TV types. Absence did not improve the mediaâs performance, but his answers did reaffirm his penchant for the low road. He had two goals: to capitalize on the nutso âlegitimate rapeâ comments of a GOP Senate candidate, and to create a headline to detract attention from the growing crowds and bold tone of the Romney-Ryan ticket. So prepped, he ventured into the kittensâ den and was rewarded immediately with the mushiest question ever: What did the president make of the rape comments, and are they typical Republican fare? Itâs tempting to believe the first questioner, a lackey from The Associated Press, was a ringer inserted by the campaign, but such machinations arenât necessary. Most of the press corps tilts so far left that coaching would be redundant. Obama calls the press âmy base,â an admission that means Joe Biden doesnât have to fear inquiring minds focusing on his transgressions. Consider that the charge from the sitting vice president that Republicans favor a return to slavery didnât ignite the mediaâs sense of outrage nearly as much as the rape comments from an obscure Missouri candidate. Liberal loyalty demanded they help build that female firewall for Obama by reinforcing the âWar on Womenâ trope, and so they acted. Without double standards, the media would have no standards. So the rapt and rumpled press corps looked like props in a campaign commercial â maybe they will be â as Obama spent most of his 20-minute oration in attack mode. He also peevishly denied that his campaign had taken the low road or that it had accused Mitt Romney of committing a felony, even though his top spokeswoman did exactly that. Liar, liar â if only his pants had caught on fire. Imagine the New York Times headline: âObama Performs Stunning Magic Trick.â OK, lifeâs not fair, especially in the newsrooms that comprise the smug echo chamber. If they didnât know better before, Romney and Paul Ryan surely realize now they will not get a fair shot. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/22/obama-shrinks-presidency-while-press-purrs-like-kittens/