Cold shoulder: Remember last week when Fox News “reported” a story from the Moonie fishwrapper Washington Times about how Illinois Sen. Barak Obama was brainwashed in an Indonesian Muslim madrassah when he was 7? And remember how all the talking tools on wingnut TV and radio shows picked up the unattributed, unresearched and, as it turned out, untrue story?

Well, Obama has retaliated by cutting Fox reporters off. No comments, no interviews, no thanks, you’re not welcome on my really kool campaign for president.

The Fox reporters, typically, are whining:

“I’m still in the freezer,” one Fox journalist said, noting that the people at Fox “suffering the most did nothing wrong.”

My favorite, though, is the unnamed “source” who made the following addle-pated statement:

One source familiar with the dynamic between Fox and Obama, who asked not to be named, said Obama and his staff are in for a rude awakening if they think they can write off Fox News. If a candidate is serious about running for president, he or she is going to need a network like Fox to reach out to all those voters in the red and purple states, the source said.

One, red-staters who watch Fox News are not going to vote for a guy who’s even just half black. Second, Obama is going to get tons of coverage because — he’s Obama! Even voters who only watch Fox News and listen to Rush Limbaugh will still hear about him and his message.

So don’t let Fox off the hook too soon, Barak. Enjoy watching them twist in the breeze for a while.