It should come as no surprise that, as Salon (linked through the Guardian so you don’t have to register) reports, George Bush and the Administration have dumped the New York Times.

Love it, hate it, or ignore it, the Times is the country’s paper of record, and for most of the past century every President has felt compelled to address the paper as being a “gatekeeper” in the flow of press coverage for policymaking and campaigning. Bush, however, who (as the Times itself has pointed out) is rather thin-skinned when it comes to criticism or failures of faith, has finally dispensed with approaching the paper with courtesy or deference to its role in American print media, secure in the support he receives through cable, Internet, and radio media outlets.

The supposedly liberal Times was remarkably meek and uncritial for the first three years of Bush’s term, and its coverage of foreign affairs leading up to the invasion of Iraq was nothing if not dutifully deferential to the official line. But Bush obviously believes that he has nothing to lose and much to gain by ignoring and even attacking the Times‘ credibility and objectivity. By barring its reporters from campaign events, slamming the paper in public speeches, and running email campaigns to smear Times journalists, this White House has all but broken up with the Gray Lady.