Yesterday Howie Kurtz had a piece in the Washington Post detailing how Hillary Clinton may be receiving tougher treatment from the press than her rivals. And, about a week ago, there were a spate of stories about how the Clinton campaign might be pondering a staff shake-up.

Those two stories may be related.

I have both the advantage and disadvantage of knowing no one who is part of the public face of the Clinton campaign. But from that vantage point, the crew that publicly surrounds Hillary has consistently come across as the most arrogant group of know-it-alls ever to populate the modern campaign stage. (When one considers the group that surrounded Richard Nixon, that's really saying something.) Every question is seemingly answered with a snarl. Every challenge appears to be greeted with a personal insult. ("We don't comment on books that are utter and complete failures," was one such riposte.)

Now it's true that politics ain't beanbag, nor is it a service industry. And, it's true that the Clintons have taken some very unfair knocks over the years from the press. But there's a lot to be said for civility, if only out of self-interest. Believe it or not, reporters generally try to keep their personal feelings out of their journalism (whether they succeed or not is another inquiry). But over time, when they're constantly played for the fool, it's hard for reporters not to think, if only subconsciously, "Boy, would I love to wipe the smirks off their faces."

Well guess what? Over the last six weeks, they have.

The good news for the Clintons is that this is all inside baseball; it only counts, if at all, during "the phony war" of the pre-primaries when the press can weave its own scenarios. Once the voting begins, reality takes over and the truth is that the public could care less about the courtiers to the candidates.

But call me old-fashioned or overcome with the spirit of the season but over time, humility and goodwill count for a lot -- even in presidential politics. Maybe, as the poet once said, a fish does rot from the head down. But sometimes, it also works the other way around: Surrounded by all this dour self-certitude, the candidate begins to sound as off-putting as the aides who surround him or her.

Overconfidence and insolence are, unfortunately, infectious. Hillary doesn't need to surround herself with a group of devotees of Mr. Rogers. But one or two certainly wouldn't hurt.

To read Steven Stark's complete "Presidential Tote Board" blog, go to www.thephoenix.com/toteboard/