It was a terrible look for the CBS moderating team, though it was primarily Brennan’s disgrace. First, they broke their own “no fact-checking” policy in the most flagrant way possible. (Brennan literally tried to end a segment with a “Just to clarify . . .” tag!) Adding to that, it was clear that Brennan’s motivations were purely partisan. But to cut Vance off as he was in the process of rather politely — and concisely — defending his corner against an incorrect broadside he was specifically told not to expect from the moderators? That betrayed cowardice and weakness.

I think it’s well beyond time we dispensed with the trope of the “fact check” altogether. It’s abundantly clear at this point that it is beloved by legacy media types because it fortifies their bias with the veneer of authority, not because it offers any serious truth value — the mere laundering of opinion into “expert fact” to wield as a tool in shaping the contours of public debate (I rate my assertion “Mostly True.”) Its temptations of the “fact check” are impossible even for seasoned professionals to evade, because few can avoid succumbing to their own vanities.