Others have kicked this around a bit already — the media’s, and our collective, obsession with the word “terrorism.” But it was still nagging at me late into the night and early this morning, and it wasn’t until an hour or two after President Obama’s remarks yesterday that I put my finger on exactly why.

Two reasons really. Starting with the first: Why were so many people in the media standing on pins and needles, wondering whether Obama would call what happened in Boston terrorism? Obviously the word is heavily charged, and carries great political and legal significance, and if reporters were really interested in how Obama himself viewed what happened — and thus how he might respond to it — it would be perfectly appropriate. Read More