Kaus on Murtha: Mixed Messages
Mickey Kaus, up for best Media/Journalist Blog in the 2005 Weblog Awards, deserves to win in another fine category because he is that rarity of rarities: a man who spends much of his time criticizing the excesses of those who share his political persuasion. A typically excellent post shows what I mean: Kaus simply destroys the credibility of Rep. Murtha with a few well-chosen quotes, uttered within minutes of each other, and showing a man who has no coherent thoughts on the conflict in Iraq. There’s nothing mean-spirited about it, either – it’s just good, solid work…
Kaus is usually described as a Lib but I’m not sure what that means anymore. I guess he’s for a minimum wage increase and gun control but so is O’Reilly. Certainly his Kwanzaanukah is going to be a chilly affair as regards his workmates but that is nothing new for him. This is a guy who has been solid in his decency and fairness throughout the Bush years (which puts you in foul ourder with our Lefties) and a couple things I’ve read from him on Clinton imply consistency at the core. This is a rarity in any public figure much less an opinion merchant. On top of all that, he is a stitch. When the drawdown is in full swing and the Democrats are crowing that this represents their victory over Bush there won’t be too many media types to call a foul. I suspect Kaus will be one.
The interesting thing about Kaus is that he is the only commentator initially identified as an Iraq war skeptic who didn’t drink the Kool-Aid — something a good chunk of its ostensible supporters wound up dooing.
And I love observing the ongoing Kaus/Sullivan feud. I don’t know the source of it (was it Sully’s calling Kaus out for not making up him mind over whether the Iraq invasion was a good idea or was it something else?), but Kaus always seems to come up with the better putdowns.