Neither one likes The New York Times’ columnist Maureen Dowd much. The Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz includes this little nugget in his piece today about the media circus surrounding Friday’s presidential debate:

Outside, on a summerlike evening, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs held forth for the likes of NBC’s Chuck Todd and New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, who was wearing an Elvis T-shirt. (The company may have been more pleasant than that of McCain aides, who have barred Dowd from the candidate’s plane….)

Those who follow such things may recall how Dowd complained about being denied White House press credentials in the early days of the Bush administration — though she was eventually credentialed. Is this an indication that a McCain administration may continue some of the more petty traditions of the current White House, including shunning disfavored journalists?

Perhaps — but you need not worry, Maureen. It’s not like being on the plane gets you any more access to the candidate than you would have, say, sitting at home watching television.

Quite the opposite.