“I got a good laugh from your post on the “factual superiority of the blogosphere” because I did learn a lot of facts from blogs about the “CBS memos”.
From the right-wing blogs, I learned that the memo font matches MS Times-Roman, and nothing else. From the left-wings blogs, I learned that the memo font matches IBM Press-Roman, and nothing else.
From the right-wing blogs, I learned that small horizontal variation in spacing is proof of “kerning” and therefore computer generation. From the left-wing blogs, I learned that small vertical variation in alignment is proof of mechanical action and therefore typewriter creation.
I learned that the right-wing facts are certainly true, as noted by Washington Post experts, and the left-wing facts are certainly true, as established by the Boston Globe.
From the right-wing blogs, I learned that a trusted expert is one who writes to Glenn Reynolds, offering to withhold any opinion on any topic if only the good Professor will end the stream of right-wing e-mail abuse. This guy’s pleading uncertainty proves to Mickey Kaus and a waiting world that the Globe is full of crap.
From the left-wing blogs, I learned that a trusted expert is a long-time Kevin Drum poster who suddenly reveals (without evidence) that he was an IBM typewriter salesman and therefore has knowledge that apparently belongs to no other living human. This guy’s self-proclaimed certainty proves to Dailykos and a waiting world that the Washington Post is full of crap.
From all blogs, I learned that the low resolution of the documents nullifies all supposed “facts” that contradict any locally favored facts.
From all my reading, I learned the comforting fact that we can all choose our facts as we please and yet still go to bed at night sure that all of our facts have survived the rigorous scrutiny that only the blogosphere can provide.” More feedback on the Letters Page.
EMAIL OF THE DAY II: “Andrew, Look, like you, I am aghast at the GOP and its partisan plays to the social conservatives. I’m a New York Republican, whose main focus is foreign policy. Like you, I’m a hawk. Like you, I’m a fiscal conservative (so neither party gives me a home on this issue). On social policy, I’m closer to a San Francisco Democrat, and I RESPECT you for not allowing your self-respect to continue to be co-opted by the Republicans playing footsie with the haters. Yet, from my perspective, if you don’t get the foreign policy right, the economic and social issues won’t matter. So I reluctantly, with teeth gnashing, support the GOP — this round, while in this awful war, the fact that there are many areas to legimately criticize on the conduct of this war, notwithstanding.
But Andrew, re: “Klein on Kerry,” you can’t have it both ways. You can’t propose that Kerry challenge Bush to be more forceful in taking on the Sunni triangle, AND recognize that this would sound completely alien coming from Kerry. Everything Kerry has ever said and equivocated upon in foreign policy eliminates any plausibility or credibility in him challenging the President to be more forceful. Speaking from a reluctant partisan’s perpective, I’d like to hear Kerry say just that. The laugh-track from the public at large would raise Bush’s ratings a couple of points.
Get a grip, Andrew! I understand the lonely and principled place you find yourself in, but don’t abandon your usually sensible analysis.” Fair enough. I have been longing to hear something strong and credible from Kerry on the war, but you cannot get past his own record, his obvious instincts, his meandering mind. All of which, of course, makes me more despondent about this election. The incompetent versus the irresolute. God help us. More feedback on the Letters Page.
The Dish 