The Fallacy of Private Knowledge

This passage from Matt Bai illustrates a lot of what I think is wrong with conventional reportorial methods:

The body of Mr. Obama's writing and experiences before he became a presidential candidate would suggest that he is instinctively pragmatic, typical of an emerging generation that sees all political dogma – be it '60s liberalism or '80s conservatism – as anachronistic. Privately, Mr. Obama has described himself, at times, as essentially a Blue Dog Democrat, referring to the shrinking caucus of fiscally conservative members of the party.

Obama is secretly a Blue Dog! But without breaking any confidences, I can tell you that it's also true that Obama has privately described himself at times as a liberal frustrated with the timidity of more moderate members of the party. Because guess what: Barack Obama is a politician trying to assemble a broad base of support. The idea that his "private" words and deeds reveal his "real" approach is a tempting conceit, but it doesn't really make sense. The real Obama is the public Obama and that Obama's approach to his job reveals an ideology that's similar to your average Senate Democrat. He's like Patty Murray, but much more famous.