The Virtuous And Not At All Hypocritical Joe Klein Sets Record Straight

[Rose Siding]

He's gone after the "frothing" and "screeching" bloggers again, this time because they were right....AND "vehement and obnoxious". If only they could be as civil as Joe is recommends!

A Mea Culpa, Sorta
My TV comments on nukes were wrong, and the liberal bloggers are right — up to a point

....So thanks, frothing bloggers, for calling me on my mistake. You can, at times, be a valuable corrective.

At other times, though, your vitriol just seems uninformed, malicious and disproportionate. You seem to believe that since I'm not a lock-step liberal — and we can talk about what a liberal actually is some other time — I'm some sort of creepy, covert conservative. Of course, most conservatives consider me a liberal.

Why, they oughta know! -Who better to define the standard of a liberal than a conservative? :eyes:

Now we revisit Joe's favorite nonsensical phrase: jumbo shrimp radical or flaming moderate

I call myself a moderate — a radical or flaming moderate, take your pick — because in this witlessly overheated political environment, you've got to call yourself something. But the conservatives do have a point: I disagree with Ronald Reagan's famous formulation, "Government is part of the problem, not part of the solution." I believe that government action can, when judiciously applied, make life better for people — and that we, as a society, have a responsibility to provide equal opportunity for all. I've had some problems with the methods liberals use to accomplish those goals, especially when they do not recognize the corrosive effects of entrenched bureaucracies and special interests, like the public employees unions, on the lives of the poor. I've also had problems with the reflexive tendency of Democrats to oppose the use of U.S. military power, even when that power has been sanctioned by the UN or NATO; I have absolutely no patience for those who believe the United States is a malignant or immoral force in the world.

Recently, though, there's been a growing sense among some Democrats that since the Republicans have an obnoxious amen chorus of radio talk-show hosts and vituperative elected officials like the late, great Tom DeLay, the Democrats should respond by being equally vehement and obnoxious. There's been a growing sense that since Republicans resort to disgraceful tactics — the impeachment of Bill Clinton, questioning the war records of candidates (John Kerry, Max Cleland) who happen to be Democrats — Democrats should respond in kind, call for the impeachment of George W. Bush and resort to demagoguery whenever plausible.

The "disgraceful tactic" was impeachment for covering up an affair, you nitwit. Who on the left have EVER advocated that? Unless Bill had a war in his pants, it's different. You might even say there's a RADICAL, FLAMING difference.

Sorry, guys, you lost me there. George W. Bush has proven that governing from the right can't work; but governing from the left won't work either. The only way that real change — a universal health-care system (along the lines enacted by Mitt Romney in Massachusetts), a real alternative energy plan, progressivity in taxation and entitlement reform, a cooperative non-toxic foreign policy—will come is through coalitions built from the center out. And those coalitions will only flourish in a public atmosphere of civility, humanity and compromise.

Touchy, touchy WATB.

[acmejack]

1. Joe chose to start and to escalate this war of words.

He bashes us and then issues a call for civility at the end of his tirade, always an effective tactic. He touts all of these glorious ideas-universal health-care system, a real alternative energy plan, taxation and entitlement reform, cooperative non-toxic foreign policy, these ideas are only found among those of us on the left.

Klein has no credibility and is a proven bozo, he is best ignored.