Saturday's All Right for Fighting

by Charles

Ring One:  Patrick Frey exposed LA Times columnist/blogger Michael Hiltzik of sock-puppeting, i.e., using pseudonyms to bolster his own opinions and belittle those of his detractors.  When confronted with the incontrovertible truth, Hiltzik responded with jaw-dropping intellectual dishonesty.  The editors at the LA Times judged the match over by TKO and suspended Hiltzik from further pugilism, er, journalism.  Frey hoped that Hiltzik's suspension would not end the LA Times' blog experiment but, rather, use journalists who have integrity and candor (follow-up posts here, here, here and here).  However, the first response from an LA Times writer is disengenuous and does not bode well (Patterico responds here).  Interestingly, Frey exposed another LA Times employee using a pseudonym here, here and here.  I agree with Patterico that masha/workingjournlist committed no transgression (provided that said pseudonym is not Hiltzik).  There is no crime in masha/workingjournalist coming across as a barking fruitcake.

Ring Two:  By way of Gateway Pundit, Iraqi prime minister al-Jaafari gave up the fight to keep his job, withdrawing his nomination for a second term.  In his stead, al-Maliki was chosen.  This was one of those pivotal moments, and it looks like the Iraqi government has eked through it, breaking the deadlock and hopefully paving the way to forming a workable coalition.  [Update:  Publius Pundit is not optimistic since al-Maliki is a Dawa Party member and most likely an al-Jaafari clone.  Adil Abdul-Mahdi would've been the better choice.]

Ring Three:  In phase two of his travels, Michael Totten's fight is with time, trying to get from Istanbul to Dohok (in northern Iraq) by car in three days time.  His six-part series begins here, and it's worth a full read.

Ring Four:  Starting officially on Monday, we'll be seeing regular sparring matches between two middleweights in the Hispanic division.  Should be interesting.

Ring Five:  Michael Tomasky is fighting for an overriding philosophy for the Democrats, a "big idea that unites their proposals and converts them from a hodgepodge of narrow and specific fixes into a vision for society."  Good luck.  Perhaps the Euston Manifesto would be a good place to start.

I've been too busy to post much, but these are a few things that have caught my attention this morning.  Some of you might want to start a fight against bad metaphors, and I don't blame you.

Comments

[chaskoshi]

Hear, hear! As a long-time lurker and first-time commenter, let me just say that Charles is brilliant and I agree with just about all of his points. You guys should chip in and pay him to blog!

[Jay C]

Troll alert!

I move we petition the kitten to ban this "chaskoshi" guy: he sucks, and is ruining this site!!

;)

[cleek]

the Euston Manifesto is a laughable mess of strawmen, dishonesty and hypocrisy.

[radish]

Good heavens Charles, you don't really want us to take The Euston Manifesto seriously do you? That would be cruel, Charles... Cruel beyond measure.

Would you really begrudge us the merciless mockery which is the only sane response to a document which, Anno Domini 2006, refers to itself as a "manifesto," and capitalizes the word "Left?" A document which clings so desperately to the passive voice and yet is so passionate in its advocacy of Freedom, Democracy, Whisky, Sexy, Human Rights (and a Pony!) as to make the reader wonder whether the authors genuinely believed that any concession to specificity or controversy would cause them to be flung from the Earth, off into some endless lonely void whence they would never return?

We have so little to amuse us nowadays, Charles, don't deny us this as well...

p.s. hey I think that chaskoshi guy is smart and funny -- I petition the kitten to ditch Charles and get chaskoshi in here instead ;-)

[Doug H.]

Perhaps the Euston Manifesto would be a good place to start.

"The Republicans were right and we were wrong, even if everything isn't working" is not a good place to start, if you ask me.

Of course, now me, cleek, 'n radish are invoking the arrival of PooterGeek to throw ad hominems left and right in 'defense' of his Manifesto.

[double-plus-ungood]

The Euston Manifesto clearly fails to praise Motherhood and Apple Pie, and I cannot support anything that fails to support those two worthy ideals.

Also, while it mentions a many good things, I have no truck with the tendency to pay lip service to these ends.

[Sancho]

Iraqi prime minister al-Jaafari gave up the fight to keep his job, withdrawing his nomination for a second term. In his stead, al-Maliki was chosen. This was one of those pivotal moments, and it looks like the Iraqi government has eked through it, breaking the deadlock and hopefully paving the way to forming a workable coalition.

ROTFLMAO...

Elections are really a bitch, you just can't rely on people to vote the right way. Maybe if we had let Diebold tabulate the votes,we could still have had the thief of Amman as Prime Minister.

[KCinDC]

This was one of those pivotal moments, and it looks like ...

We've finally turned the corner!

[SomeOtherDude]

al-Maliki? I wonder if he studied John Locke, Von Hayek and the Federalist Papers while in exile in Syria and Iran.

These NeoIslamoFascistLiberalDemocrats Iraqis are soooo progressive.

[Charles Bird]

Elections are really a bitch, you just can't rely on people to vote the right way.

The Iraqi democratic process worked, Sancho. They couldn't put together a coalition with al-Jaafari, so the UIA found a person whom the Kurds and Sunnis found more palatable.

[Randinho]

Perhaps the Euston Manifesto would be a good place to start.

Yeah,if you're a Republican. They soft-pedal Abu Ghraib nad express far more concern about abuse of metaphor than abuse there. They throw up a strawman anti-American section designed solely to stifle dissent. I'm beyond unimpressed.

[Anarch]

I'm beyond unimpressed.

A Randy Meyer film...

Starring famed blogger hiltzoy in a role you just won't believe...

Beyond the Valley of the Unimpressed!

...

Sorry, my blood sugar's a tad low. Back in a bit, or not.

[Fledermaus]

The Euston Manifesto clearly fails to praise Motherhood and Apple Pie, and I cannot support anything that fails to support those two worthy ideals.

DPU,

You're exactly right on this. We really need to find out why the writers of the 'Euston Manifesto' are anti-mother and apple pie. Of course you and I both know that it is because the authors are just another bunch of liberals who hate America.

If that were not enough, they are also in favor of coddling terrorists: "The violation of basic human rights standards at Abu Ghraib, at Guantanamo, and by the practice of "rendition", must be roundly condemned for what it is: a departure from universal principles" They just don't realize that we are at war and the last thing America needs is to give terrorists a vacation at Club Gitmo. Plus they are giving aid and comfort to the terrorists and hurting the war effort by blaming America first.

Finally, the capper that shows just how unserious they are about America's security: "We stand for an internationalist politics and the reform of international law" It is clear from this statement that they demand permission slips from the UN before America acts to defend itself. This is just another liberal group demanding a "global test"

Their manifesto clearly shows that they are nothing but a bunch of appeasers and that they do not care about America's security.

[J. Michael Neal]

The Iraqi democratic process worked, Sancho. They couldn't put together a coalition with al-Jaafari, so the UIA found a person whom the Kurds and Sunnis found more palatable.

Well it took them four months, with the country sliding into civil war. In the end, the deciding factor was that the religious parties closed ranks in order to prevent the secular parties from getting any power. And, the president still hasn't gotten the 2/3 majority in Parliament that he needs to claim the office.

[Matt Weiner]

the first response from an LA Times writer is disengenuous and does not bode well

I think Patterico and his commenters (and by extension Charles) are misreading what Rutten said. When Rutten says

Here, as in Bennett's and Johnson's attack on the three prize-winning reports, we confront an attempt to win through bluster and intimidation what cannot be gained through politics or persuasion

he seems to be referring to the following quote from Hugh Hewitt

The paper should admit that their journalists are just polemicists who carry their opinions with them into battles they care deeply about. They are as biased as the day is long and getting longer. They aren't objective, and never have been…. Hiltzik may be the most honest guy at the Times.

So Hewitt, who practices a remarkably fact-free brand of "journalism," wants to get all L.A. Times writers (who are in general committed to reporting the facts) labelled as liberal polemicists. I think Rutten is accurate to describe this as "bluster and intimidation." Note that Rutten isn't defending Hiltzik at all.

(Hewitt is currently complaining about Rutten's ellipsis, but the part that Rutten omits does not undermine his point which is that most L.A. Times reporters are not liberal polemicists.)

[russell]

No comment on Tomasky?

"That liberalism was built around the idea -- the philosophical principle -- that citizens should be called upon to look beyond their own self-interest and work for a greater common interest"

Sounds good -- and accurate -- to me.

And, who would want to argue against it?

[Pooh]

I'd be more inclined to view the Euston piffle about the "Decent Left" seriously if we had any indication that the "Decent Right" was the one running things. Anyone have any such indication for me?

[washerdreyer]

Apologies for being pedantic, but I'm not so sure about the construction "exposed ... of" in point one. "Frey exposed Hitzlik as a sock-puppeteer" reads better to me, but I can't quite explain what the problem is.

[hilzoy]

washerdreyer: either 'exposed Hiltzik's sock-puppetting', or 'exposed H. as a sock-puppeteer'. You're right; one doesn't 'expose ... of', except in cases like: exposed the sock-puppetting of Hiltzik'.

[Ugh]

Dear Cheney Administration:

Thank you for holding off on your insane plan to attack Iran until after my wife and I got back from Morocco. You may return to the destruction of the American Republic at your leisure.

Very truly yours,

Ugh.

P.S. Never, ever, ever, sit down and try to eat meat with a tray of a dozen sheep brains in front of you. That is all.

[ral]

Ah, grammar. One can be "accused of" something or "exposed as guilty of" but not "exposed of".

Google "exposed of" (with quotes) and watch the fun.

[Step2]

"Starring famed blogger hiltzoy in a role you just won't believe...Beyond the Valley of the Unimpressed!"

Are there special effects and car chases? Or is it a drama mystery? I would actually like to see the movie if they reveal the true identity of the kitten.

[liberaljaponicus]

P.S. Never, ever, ever, sit down and try to eat meat with a tray of a dozen sheep brains in front of you. That is all.

You picked the handle, you live with it ;^)

[double-plus-ungood]

Never, ever, ever, sit down and try to eat meat with a tray of a dozen sheep brains in front of you.

I'm having trouble visualizing the arrangement here. You had to reach over the brains to get other meats? Or were there brains mixed in among other meats?

And what's wrong with sheep brain? It's delicious with a little pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

[cleek]

It's delicious with a little pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

What isn't !

lemon and pepper are almost as good as garlic and butter, for covering up the taste of things that shouldn'tbe eaten

[Ugh]

I'm having trouble visualizing the arrangement here. You had to reach over the brains to get other meats?

Actually, I shouldn't have said "meat," as trying to eat any other food would be equally as difficult for me with the tray of brains sitting there front and center (not to mention the steamed sheep heads pre-brain removal).

That said, I heartily recommend visiting Morocco, a fascinating and wonderful place.

[Matt Weiner]

Hm:

Exposed MH as a sock-puppeteer
Accused MH of sock-puppeting
Portrayed MH as a sock-puppeteer
Revealed MH as a sock-puppeteer

with the help of a google search for "as a cheater"
Recognized MH as a sock-puppeteer
Detected and flagged MH as a sock-puppeteer
Flagged MH as a sock-puppeteer
Suspected MH as a sock-puppeteer (?)
Suspected MH of sock-puppeteering

The first several pages of hits for "him of cheating" are all "accuse" and "suspect."

Hits for "him as a cheater" are a wide variety of verbs, some factive ('expose,' recognize,' 'reveal') some not ('see,' 'paint,' 'portray').

I don't know what to make of it; it seems to be a peculiarity of "accuse" and "suspect."

A search on "him of succeeding" yields "assure him of succeeding" and "deprive him of succeeding" but I'm not sure if those are the same kind of thing.

[Ginger Yellow]

The funniest thing about the Euston Manifesto is the way nearly every one of its articles defines itself in opposition to some straw man conception of what "so much left-liberal thinking" is supposed to be. Then when "left-liberals" point out that it's less of a manifesto than a resentful whinge, its proponents complain that the critics don't acknowledge how positive and progressive it is. For instance here's uber-Eustonite Norman Geras being unbelievably obnoxious and bitter: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/norman_geras/2006/04/platform_one.html

[rilkefan]

CB, you've been following Zimbabwe, haven't you? Latest happy news re the consequences of seizing land from farmers and giving it to one's cronies at the link.

[Gary Farber]

"For instance here's uber-Eustonite Norman Geras being unbelievably obnoxious and bitter"

Yet not a link that works. Try embedding it. I'm curious as to what's referred to, myself.