I just canceled my subscription to The New Republic. I hung in there with TNR a lot longer than many in the Kos Community. Despite the fact that I disagreed with many its editorial positions, most prominently its full-throated support for the Iraq quagmire, I found the journalistic level of articles to be superb, I thoroughly enjoyed its arts, literature, and cinema coverage, and I can't get enough of Leon Wieseltier.
But
this from Marty Peretz I cannot abide:
Let me concede: I am a friend of Scooter Libby. But I do not like his boss. And I do not like his boss's wife. I know this gets me no credit with the all-or-nothing crowd. Still, I like Scooter, who is quite brilliant, very honest, and brave. Also funny. I've contributed to The Libby Legal Defense Fund and have joined the fund's advisory committee, which is not large because in Washington old pals dessert when even their college roommate gets into trouble. In a time when self-styled civil libertarians are giving money to defend Muslim terrorists, I am happy to help defend an American patriot, some of whose politics I do not share and some of whose politics I do, from a cynical onslaught of the special prosecutor who put journalists into jail for not telling him what he already knew.
Doesn't Peretz see the clear conflict? It has nothing to do with whether you are friends with Scooter Libby. It has nothing to do with the "all-or-nothing" crowd. It has to do with the appearance of impropriety.
How can anyone trust any article published in TNR regarding the Plame Affair, or on any other subject for that matter, knowing that its Editor-in-Chief is raising money on behalf of an individual which his publication will continue to cover? It's one thing to take a partisan position. I have no problem with that. But, to actively involve oneself on behalf of a political actor goes well over the line and compromises the journalistic integrity of your entire publication. You are after all the Editor-in-Chief. Could you imagine the hue and cry were Bill Keller to do something similar?
When the customer service representative asked why I was canceling my subscription, I recited for her what you just read.