I have stopped reading and listening to a lot of people lately. Neither my blood pressure (it is already high) nor my heart (I'm fat) can take such high (or is it low?) wankery.
Eric Alterman linked to Kaus today about a stupidity from Sullivan. I was already there so I read a little more. I came across an obvious point that no one but a hack would make.
More below the fold
Here is the
estimable hackery in all its glory.
Isn't this an obvious point that hasn't been made about Joseph Wilson and the Rove/Plame controversy: If you accept an assignment to investigate possible WMD-related activity in Niger on behalf of the CIA, and your wife works at the CIA, shouldn't you think before you make your CIA mission the subject of a high-profile New York Times op-ed piece that there might be the eensiest weensiest chance that in the course of the ensuing controversy your wife's CIA connection might come out in public? How could Wilson not have expected his wife's job to become the buzz of Washington in fairly short order? ...
Don't you love rhetorical questions? I do.
I live in flyover country, so I don't know much. It seems to me that the only reason why that "obvious point" hasn't been made is because it is so profoundly stupid even Ken Mehlman couldn't make it without a straight face.
Joe Wilson did not know that he was supposed to find clear and convincing proof that Iraq was buying tons and tons of Niger uranium ore. Joe Wilson did not know that, when he couldn't confirm Iraq's purchases, he should have kept his mouth shut. (Of course, the White House wasn't fixing evidence around WMDs.) Joe Wilson did not know that pointing out, first as an unnamed source, that one of the pieces of evidence for going to war in Iraq was false and making this point public would lead to all kinds of smears.
I sure would like to know from people like Kaus if one needs to be very, very careful to disagree with the Bushies because they will go after you be attacking your spouse.
The only obvious point here is that Mickey Kaus will someday occupy a very special corner in the Hack Hall of Fame.