Decision ‘08

A Clarification

Glenn Greenwald took great umbrage at my post yesterday regarding his attack on Jason Zengerle; he seemed to feel that I implied he had no integrity and was a liar. Perhaps I did; I believe neither. Let me clarify to Glenn and to my readers what I meant by the two offending statements.

1. It doesn’t mean that I have no integrity, that I think Glenn is a “doctrainnaire liberal”, or that I am accusing him of lying to say that I’m not buying what he’s selling in terms of his description of himself as an apolitical person who was shocked into activism by Bush. I think it’s an angle to sell the story; I feel this aspect is, frankly, irrelevant to his book, to boot. Maybe I’m wrong, but it feels like an exaggerated ‘hook’ to pitch the book and Glenn’s story. Am I parsing words? Maybe…but if Greenwald thinks that I am calling him a ‘liar’ in general or denigrating his integrity here, fine - I’ve got no proof for my suspicion on this matter, so I’ll withdraw the assertion and take him at his word.

2. I never said Glenn was part of Advertising Liberally, nor that he was on Kos’s payroll, etc., etc., ad nauseum. When I said this:

I realize Glenn owes much of his notoriety and traffic and his book contract to Huff’n’Puff and Kos…

I made a statement of fact that is not at all derogatory. Greenwald’s blog took off when his frankly excellent work on the NSA story got noticed by the big dogs of the liberal blogosphere, and it was that notoriety that no doubt brought him to the attention of Working Assets and landed him a book contract.

Note there is no insinuation of any kind of quid pro quo; nevertheless, it would be normal human nature to feel some gratitude towards those who had helped you in this way; we like to help our friends, that’s all.

Thus, my assertion that Glenn is barking up the wrong tree on this story; in his desire to protect the reputations of his friends, he calls Jason Zengerle the new Stephen Glass, says I have no integrity for criticizing him, and ignores the fact that Jerome Armstrong’s credibility (and that of Kos) have been severely impaired by both Jerome’s history and Kos’s sudden changes of heart regarding Jerome’s employers.

I rather think Glenn, as is his wont at times, doth protest too much…and I don’t appreciate his over-the-top attack on me, as I stated here…

Now, back to England and Ecuador - it’s World Cup time!…

4 Responses to “A Clarification”

1 Decision ‘08 » Blog Archive » Greenwald Picks The Wrong Fight Says:
June 25th, 2006 at 9:26 am
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2 Muffin the Cat Says:
June 25th, 2006 at 10:26 am
Mark,

This response just shows how popular you are on the “left”. Because they have taken time to respond to your insightful blogs, it shows that you have become someone that they take seriously.

This is a great compliment. Fantastic work. You have them on the run.

Is is “Gleen” or “Glenn”?
3 Mark Says:
June 25th, 2006 at 10:38 am
Thanks, Muffin - it’s Glenn, btw - corrected…
4 mtl Says:
June 25th, 2006 at 12:18 pm
“The idea that I receive anything of value from Kos — advertising revene, substantial portions of my traffic, or anything else — is simply false.”

This guy just doesn’t get the internet at all.

If his traffic was equivalent to Kos, it would prove to be a symbiotic relationship. In this case it is parsitic.

The e. coli in my stomach just told me to get lost, they don’t need me…