First, Sully put credence in a video by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones about Dick Cheney (and remained agnostic, even though a few moments with “the Google” would have debunked it.)
Second, he was skeptical of the UK terror plot disrupted in August. He has not revisited that one, though Mark Mershon, head of the FBI’s New York field office, has suggested that US and UK intell officials now think that the charged terrorists planned to blow up airliners over US cities to maximize casualties.
Third, there was this:
One subversive theory – which I’m not endorsing, just airing – is that both merely wanted to turn the Saddam regime to rubble, and then play along with neocon democracy supporters, while making sure that the military was never given enough resources to do nation-building. Then Cheney and Rumsfeld could prove their point about the impossibility of reforming the Muslim world, and promote the view that we need merely to pummel enemies, project military fear across the region, and deter Islamo-fascism by “shock and awe.” The Likud strategy, in other words. (Emphasis added.)
Not endorsing, of course… no, no, no. Just airing.
And now we have the self-anointed conscience of conservatism bidding “welcome” to Pat Buchanan’s “posse,” even as he admits their position has the “usual anti-Semitic undertow.”
So why would Sully jump into bed with people he sees as crypto-anti-Semites? Consider his defense of Ray McGovern, even after admitting that he “holds some wacko views, and has made some arguably anti-Semitic statements:”
But then this administration has turned many previously sane, moderate people into those who want to scream at the dishonesty and incompetence of their own government.
There is not much evidence to suggest that—even with Bush’s low poll numbers—that the people who now disapprove of his performance have become raving lunatics. There is, however, a rapidly-accumulating body of evidence that what Sullivan wrote describes Sullivan. The only part he missed is his apparent increasing comfort level with anti-Semitism.
Well, it’s logical.
If you hate Bush and all he does and stand for, and Bush is controlled by the Jews and Israel, then ….
You follow the thought train.
Sully really screwed the pooch by becoming a donk. His popularity came from being something unique: a gay conservative. Now he’s just another gay liberal, and far less entertaining than John Avarosis. Not only that, but he’s utterly incoherent anymore, and his carping about waterboarding (which, incidentally semms far less like torture than, say, getting banged in the ass by another guy) just grates.
I used to read Sullivan . . . now, I run from his articles. In fact, I won’t touch any of the links, because he receives “hits” and ups his supposed supporters.
He was trial-ballooning his anti-Semitism/Zionism in the article referenced here, back in July. The subject is Israel’s wartime restrictions on–marriage.
So are we to accept this notion that Buchanan paleo-cons are going to join forces with “mainstream” to left Dem’s and form the isolationist coalition that will push to move out of the middle east, end our long running support of Israel and concentrate on monkyboy’s shangra-la: port security and imigration solutions? Somebody please tell Andrew that Pluto is no longer a planet, therefore he no longer needs to maintain orbit.
Pat Buchanan has been spewing this tripe for years. He’s convinced that if we kick the UN out of the US and build a wall around our country with amazing border security all of our problems will cease with crazy muslims with cease. Pardon me if I’m not buying. Providing the opportunity for jihadists to train and have shelter is to allow them the opportunity to rearm themselves with something way worse than ball bearing C-4 vests. If Pat, monkyboy and Sully are counting on ramped up port security, sort of a nationwide bunker mentality, they are delusional at best and dangerous at worse.
I wonder if Sully is going to declare himself to be a “classical conservative” at which point Jeff will fly to DC and beat him with the ‘Dillo.
BTW, a second look at the Sully quote excerpted in the main entry reveals a bit more of how mentally confused he has become. The theory he was “airing” was that “the Likud strategy” involved merely “play[ing] along with neocon democracy supporters” for awhile. Yet Juan Cole and his ilk identify neocons as “Likudniks.” But Sully didn’t even see a need to sort out the code words.
I would add that Sully writes of just “airing” that theory—but for what purpose? His blog does not permit comments, so it’s not like the “theory” will be debated. Sure, you could e-mail him, but is the rest of the world supposed to serve as Sully’s remedial thinking course? Would you waste your time pointing out his wackier moments in a private e-mail, given that he is clearly unaware of how crazed he sounds now?
The book ain’t selling. The appeal to the Kos folk and the Huffington crowd over the last few weeks is over, didn’t get him very far, even Maher didn’t buy a copy, so this week, moving on, its time to go after the anti-semite crypto-fascist intellegentsia who are surely interested in a good anti-Bush read from a gay, foreign guy. Andrew sure is funny when he is on the offense. When he’s all “hear me roar fackers!” Bush, in Andrew’s mind, was on top of things, but then all of a sudden dismounted. Nogaymarriage. Since Andrew’s type is that of the “beloved” as opposed to the “lover,” if you get my drift, a taker and not a giver, madness ensued when thus scorned and in his new role of give it back to da suckas, as he steps out of his natural temperment and flings stuff left and right, insanity has ensued. Mad as mad can be. I blame Aaron too. The hairy man behind the curtain. May the loving couple find bliss with Buchanan and all their other new homeys.
Some mistakes were made, some Jews were slandered. Nobody is perfect.
Let me be blunt in saying that all of this “airing” and “agnostic” conspiracy theories is the worst kind of journalistic cowardice. I will reiterate that: Journalistic Cowardice!
It’s a way to take a shot while attempting to distance yourself from the shooting position. It’s the journalistic equivalant of printing the bartender’s whisper about a certain minority whip and velvet ropes without doing any background while writing “I’m not saying that this is true or that I even believe it but…” Sully doesn’t even imitate a journalist anymore. His personal pecadilloes have overwhelmed any editorial sense that he might have had. What a waste of an expensive education.
All this unpleasantness would have been avoided if Bush had simply not endorsed the “Defense of Marriage” amendment.
Hell hath no fury like a fantasy objectivist scorned….
“One subversive rectum – which I’m not endorsing, just airing -”
That gave me an interesting idea: next time some journalist agrees to be waterboarded, then solemnly explains how horrible it was, they should tell him they will only stop if he agrees to take it up the ass. See how long he can hold out then.
Oh, good gravy! Now Sully is channeling Barack Obama, gushing how the Senator’s feelings on faith are so like his own, with the prerequisite book pimping quote to match (Sully’s, not Barack’s.)
The long fall from the cliff continues….