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Today, the studly Brian Montopoli, who blogs over at CBS News's cute Public Eye, shared his thoughts about the manufactured Tara Conner drama. His contention? That Donald Trump has masterfully manipulated the media, during a traditionally fallow stretch, into giving the whole "Miss USA is a drunk" story about 674% more airtime than it really deserves. We heartily concur — and we applaud Trump's efforts on our behalf during this difficult time. Seriously, we don't know what we'd be writing about if Trump weren't there, dishing out quotes like "It's a story that has happened many times before, to many women and to many men that came to the Big Apple." But Brian saves the best of his chiding post, Vanessa Williams-style, for last:

If I ever got that "if you could have one wish" question at a beauty pageant, incidentally, I guess I'd have to go with that most standard of answers: World peace. But if I had two wishes, well, let's just say I'd give serious thought to wishing for a press corps that covers real news instead of manufactured publicity stunts like this.

The only reason that Brian still wins the imaginary pageant in spite of this pat scolding is, obviously, the imaginary swimsuit competition.

Trump To Miss USA: You're Not Fired! [Reuters]
How To Manufacture A Late December Story [PublicEye]