I’m hard-pressed to think of anybody who will tell you privately that in the midst of debates about such issues as Social Security and the deficits, it’s a good idea for the party leader to be turning himself into the issue by engaging in class and religious warfare.
This is precisely what congressional leaders and Dean agreed that Dean would not do when he became the chair of the party. He was supposed to leave the message to them. Having not done so, and having been criticized for it by two possible presidential candidates
Stephen Spruiell has an interesting story about how the Washington Post was used by on-line political operatives, and doesn’t seem to care.
What he doesn’t point out, though, and is an ongoing sign of the continued cluelessness of mainstream reporters, is that while the word “bloggers” is used throughout the saga, including one of the story headlines in the Post, there were no blogs involved. Free Republic is not a blog, any more than it was during Rathergate.
I wish Hiawatha Bray all the best in this endeavor, and not just because I think that he would really be a better person for the job, but I’m afraid that he doesn’t know how far gone his profession is.
Congratulations to Claudia Rossett. In a just world she’d win a Pulitzer, but I guess that’s reserved for the Walter Durantys of the world.
It’s too bad that more journalists don’t go after stories like this, but I guess massive corruption at the UN so that a brutal tyrant can continue to starve children and bribe countries to keep him in power isn’t as important as Tom Delay’s travel expenses, or Hootie Johnson’s golf memberships.
Charlie Gibson is surprised to hear that Iraqis (you know, the folks that the so-called “insurgents” have been murdering by the droves?) are not Zarquawi fans.
On Wednesday’s World News Tonight, after Brian Ross noted that “some Arabs” on a “popular Web site said they hoped the news was true” about the serious injury to terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, with messages such as, “Let this criminal Zarqawi go to Hell,” Gibson turned to reporter Nick Watt in Baghdad and expressed shock, “I’m surprised by something in Brian’s piece: The vehemence of the comments on Arab Web sites in opposition to Zarqawi, because we keep hearing that he has considerable support.” Watt confirmed that “many” Iraqis “will be very glad if he does die.”
There are some things so stupid that only a liberal television commentator can believe them.