Is David even trying anymore?
Maybe not sadly, but most certainly no! David Frum writes:
“Imagine if an e-mail had surfaced showing that a top aide to Clinton–say, Sid Blumenthal–had told a reporter about a covert CIA agent.” The always fair and balanced Howard Kurtz posed that hypothetical in a column yesterday, and it’s a reasonable question. And as it happens, we know the answer.
As a matter of fact, a Clinton aide – not a top aide, but a political appointee – did release personal information about one of Clinton’s accusers, highly embarrassing information at that: I am referring of course to former Assistant Secretary of Defense Kenneth Bacon’s decision to release Linda Tripp’s 3-decade old arrest record to New Yorker writer Jane Mayer. [Emphasis added]
ok, so it wasn’t a Clinton top aide, or even an aide at all, and it wasn’t about a covert CIA agent, and it wasn’t about classified, national-security information (unless being exposed to Linda Tripp can be considered dangerous. Well, ok.)
Anyway, except for all those differences it’s totally the same, which is why Frum concludes:
So there’s our answer to Kurtz’s hypothetical. Had this story involved a Clinton aide, the best guess is that what would have happened is: At least as far as the major media are concerned, he’d have gotten clean away with it.
And those two cases were so totally the same thing. Except, you know, for the fact that just about every single thing was different. And yet, and yet, Frum really goes the extra mile in the self-discrediting department here:
Bacon’s actions – unlike anything Karl Rove is said to have done – were clearly illegal.
It’s stuff like this that makes us believe David Frum is little more than Adam Yoshida with better grammar and less acne.
Canada offers a sincere apology for David Frum. And C?line Dion.
Frist! Oops, guess not. Well, blame it on the Clenis – after all, everything that’s wrong with this country is HIS FAULT!
Why does Bill Clinton hate America?
Imagine if the crew of the Enterprise hadn’t gone back in time to stop the evil Borg from taking over the Earth. Just Imagine.
If David’s looking for historical comparisons to make, what’s wrong with the obvious, Watergate? It’s looking more like Rove had his own Operation Gemstone running the whole time. And still does, most likely.
So, to document that tortured logic…
Kenneth Bacon :: Karl Rove
Jane Mayer :: Judith Miller
Linda Tripp :: Valerie Plame
So, has a friend of Ms. Plame been giving the president blowjobs?
I’ll go with it, or any other possible version,
as long as this ALSO ends in impeachment hearings
Oh, and aside from that whole impeachment thing, Clinton got clean away with it.
Or is David wishing that Clinton could have been impeached for each and every traffic ticket, jaywalking offense, or misuse of government equipment committed by any member of his staff?
(Yeah, okay, I know David was talking about the “aide” getting clean away with it, but he wasn’t clear about it, and let’s face it, is there any possible way David *doesn’t* think Clinton should have been held responsible for what staffers did? David seems to think Clinton should be held responsible for stuff *Bush* staffers did or failed to do, for pity’s sake.)
Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how ridiculous Frum’s analogy is–the Right will swallow it whole, bad logic and all, then shit it out as the basis for policy.
Frum, my bete noire. For some really, impressively idiotic writing, you have to swing by the Huffington Post and read his wife’s stuff. Danielle Crittenden-dorf whatever. It’s as if Frum wrote for Entertainment Weekly, but without the gravitas.