How the sausage gets made.

A must read on modern campaign communications.

How the sausage gets made - John F. Harris - Politico.com: "The exchanges show the speed and ferocity with which operatives inside presidential campaigns argue even the slightest nuances of stories they believe could be damaging. They also show the hectic, on-the-fly judgments that journalists make as they try to abide by standards of fairness while pushing back against dubious spin.

Among a volley of staff members and surrogates for Obama’s campaign to call Mahtesian, the most combative was deputy communications director Dan Pfeiffer.

Mahtesian, who has written about national politics for nearly two decades, said Sunday he was taken aback by Pfeiffer’s bellicose tone.

'Who are you? I've never heard of you. What's your background?' Pfeiffer demanded to know, Mahtesian recalled."