It's only natural that politicians would look for a scapegoat for their troubles. In Thaksin's case, he still can't shake off the illusion that had the Thai media been as compliant as he would have liked them to be, things might not have come to this.

But the good news is that despite all of his manipulative tactics, Thaksin's desire to have the media back under his control again - the way he did in the early years of his administration - has remained a fantasy. It's no wonder then that the prime minister was unable to hide his frustration and put the blame squarely on the media for the political woes he is facing.

That is not to say that Thaksin did not try to reach out to journalists to win back their support. Few members of the public know that he has in recent weeks re-launched his public relations campaign with the media by visiting newspaper offices for friendly chats with their publishers and editors. Insiders said Thaksin used the meetings to sound out senior journalists and at the same time to rebuild his relationships with them, which have obviously been anything but friendly.

But if Thaksin's objective was to persuade the print media to adopt a softer line, he was definitely in for a big disappointment. And he has made no secret about his frustration in this regard in recent days.

Having lamented, in a tongue-in-cheek manner, that the media had not helped with "political reconciliation" during his tour of the Northeast last week, Thaksin took to the microphone during his weekly radio address on Saturday to lambaste newspapers for what he claimed to be their bias against him.

Without mentioning names, Thaksin said "some newspapers" and "some columnists" distorted his remarks about how Bangkokians, despite their education and exposure, fell victim to misinformation. The prime minister claimed he didn't intend to insult the political intelligence of city people but his words were deliberately taken out of context by "my regular clients" - a reference to journalists and academics who frequently criticise Thaksin.

It is obvious that Thaksin used his radio programme to try to turn the tables on the media in an attempt at damage control. The prime minister somehow has been unable to kick the habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

But it took him days before he was aware of the level of animosity he had created among Bangkok constituents with the anti-Bangkokian remarks he made to please his crowd of supporters in Khon Kaen.

Of course, this wasn't the first time Thaksin has tried to find fault with the media. In fact, whenever it has served his political purposes, Thaksin has portrayed the media as an adversary bent on undermining his administration in collusion with his political foes. His critical stand against the media is clearly designed for the consumption of his rural supporters who normally have limited access to news and information. They have been the main beneficiaries of Thaksin's populist policies, which he often claims are the envy of the more educated masses in Bangkok.

Attacking the media could also be seen as one of Thaksin's diversionary tactics - one he uses with effectiveness whenever things go bad politically. By castigating the media, Thaksin is implying that all the negative news reports about him and his administration are disinformation designed to discredit him. The tactic has resonance upcountry where most people have been made to believe that the media represent city elite sidelined by Thaksin's pro-poor policy.

But what Thaksin has neglected to acknowledge is that journalists didn't invent all the bad news about him. Charges of corruption, abuse of power and conflicts of interest levelled against him and his close associates have stemmed from their own conduct.

And if in the eyes of the public Thaksin has lost the legitimacy as a leader, it is because he allowed self-interest and the arrogance of power to get the better of him. The media are there only to ensure there is public accountability - a role that has become increasingly essential in the absence of effective checks and balances mechanisms.

If Thaksin truly understands democracy as he often claims he does, he should know that being held accountable is part and parcel of the system. But we know too well that it's the semblance of democracy that allows him to hold to power that he prefers - not its essence, which demands transparency and accountability.

However, as long as Thaksin enjoys free air time every Saturday morning to launch one-sided attacks on his critics, he has no right to complain about the media not being fair to him.

Yes, Thaksin may have been mercurial, but he has been consistent about one thing: he has never deviated from his political "double-standard".

Thepchai Yong