Glenn Beck and Bill Kristol in an epic battle of fools
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As you may know, Glenn Beck has been parading himself as the mouthpiece of Hosni Mubarak over the last week or so, attacking demonstrators in Egypt as pawns of an alliance between Code Pink and the Muslim Brotherhood to establish a global Islamic caliphate. (Yes, he's even suggested Frances Fox Piven partially inspired the alliance.)
Beck's gone so far off the deep end that he earned himself a rebuke from none other than William Kristol, who challenged his nonsensical ravings:
When Glenn Beck rants about the caliphate taking over the Middle East from Morocco to the Philippines, and lists (invents?) the connections between caliphate-promoters and the American left, he brings to mind no one so much as Robert Welch and the John Birch Society. He’s marginalizing himself, just as his predecessors did back in the early 1960s.
As Politico's Ben Smith writes, Kristol's comments drew praise from Rich Lowry at National Review -- and a counter attack from Beck himself:
"I don't even know if you understand what conservatives are anymore, Billy," Beck said in his extended, sarcastic attack on Kristol. "People like Bill Kristol, I don't think they stand for anything any more. All they stand for is power. They'll do anything to keep their little fiefdom together, and they'll do anything to keep the Republican power entrenched."
I guess that must mean William Kristol has joined an Islamic-leftist conspiracy fomenting revolution in Egypt and seeking the destruction of America and Israel. Or perhaps it's just that Glenn Beck is a complete nutcase. Either way, unless more conservatives step up to defend Kristol's position, this is an argument Beck is going to win. Beck's got a daily show on Fox and the radio. All Kristol's got is a low circulation magazine and about 5 minutes of talk-time each weekend on Fox News Sunday.
The only way Kristol emerges on top is if conservatives back him up. And I'd be surprised if many of them have the courage to do so.