Kristol the Clown
By Steve Benen Sunday Apr 20, 2008 8:15pm
image by Driftglass
Dear New York Times,
Word has it that the Times’ publisher, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., decided last fall that it was time to add another Republican columnist to the paper’s op-ed page, and the decision early on was to find a “lightning-rod conservative.” For reasons that I’ve never entirely understood, you picked the Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol.
Now, it’s always difficult for any large institution to admit a mistake, especially on the heels of some high-profile embarrassments. I understand that. This is especially true when someone in a position of authority makes a poor employment decision, hiring the wrong person for an important job. (I suspect it’s tempting to adopt the president’s approach, and pretend that the unqualified hire is doing a heckuva job, no matter how humiliating the person’s on-the-job performance.)
But there comes a point at which the paper’s reputation matters more than the embarrassment that would come from admitting a mistake.
If Kristol were just a conservative hatchet-man, his columns would simply be predictable. After nearly five months of columns, however, the problem is more jarring — his work is that of an awful columnist, a weak writer, and a boring political observer. This isn’t about ideology; it’s about talent, or in this case, the lack thereof.
Take today’s column, for example. Without a hint of satire, Bill Kristol devoted his entire 800-word column in the nation’s most important newspaper to scrutinizing Passover press releases.
He is, in other words, making the New York Times look silly.
I suspect some of Kristol’s recent gems have given the paper pause. His inaugural column, four months ago, went a long way in making his critics’ concerns look well grounded. It was filled with predictable Republican Party talking points; it attributed a quote to the wrong person; and it heralded Hillary Clinton’s demise as a presidential candidate — just one day before she won the New Hampshire primary.
Last month, Kristol relied on a report from Newsmax, a right-wing online news site, to connect Barack Obama to a specific controversial church sermon from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. The claim was bogus, and again, Kristol had to concede yet another error.
Clark Hoyt believes hiring Kristol was a mistake, and has said so publicly. William Safire believes hiring Kristol was a mistake, and has said so publicly. In your heart of hearts, Times editors, you believe it was a mistake, too.
A senior staffer at your paper recently told The New Republic, “Personally, I don’t think he’s an original voice, and that should be the standard. It’s the most coveted piece of journalistic real estate in the country.” It is, indeed, and you’re wasting it on a hack. Another Times staffer added that Kristol just isn’t a very good writer. “Having a robust conservative voice on the page is a good idea. But you want quality,” one staffer said.
So, go get some quality. Make a clean break, acknowledge that hiring Kristol was an unfortunate error, and find a capable replacement. There will be considerable short-term embarrassment — the Times will have to admit it was wrong — but it will pale in comparison to publishing more Kristol drivel.
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Repuke agenda is Kristol clear.
Is it just me or does anyone else think "Mr Potato Head" as soon as William The Bloody shows his face ? He does enjoy a perfect record as a pundit. Hes never been right about fucking anything. Hes in good company over there at Faux News.
I hope that this gets more than the attention it would receive here. Well written and to the point.
It's amazing to me this guy ever got a job anywhere with his writing abilities. They are just simply awful. Regardless of his ideology, he simply cannot compose his thoughts into words and convey them to the rest of us. He is far more effective, and this is a low bar indeed, on television.
Unkl Witz @ 4:
In short, the perfect AssClown Majorus for Sulzberger and his shitty rag. In today's black is white and all whites are racists he's the perfect op-ed dude.
I predict he'll be holding down that job for decades.
America! Fuck Yeah!
Unkl Witz @ 4:
Because that stupid silly smirk of his goes over so well on TV , especially when fellow pansies such as Chimpy and Turd Blossom Rove sport the same stupid smirk ?
Gawd, I actually read a Kristol article. Besides being boring, his point that a campaign PR release about Passover is an indicator of a candidate's foreign policy stance is silly, to borrow the term. Oh, I have a headache now.
Speaking of neocons, Hillary Clinton was asked a hypothetical question on the Today Show this morning about what she would do if Iran nuked Israel, and she answered that she would "obliterate" Iran. I don't get MSNBC, but the same thing supposedly came out in Olbermann's interview with her. (Hint, hint, C & L, you so often show clips of Keith's show.) Wonder if she will do the same on Larry King? What is she up to and who is she playing up to? I don't think there are that many Jews in PA.
The Gray Whore.
America's most important newspaper? In whose mind? The NYT is a clownact. The Onion is far more credible than that hack ragsheet. Kristol's presence there is just one more proof of the NYT' mediocrity.
WTF or is it WHO TF qualifies as a "Quality Conservative Voice"? Pat Buchanan? And what is meant by "Quality"? Shit so delicious delicious you can't look away as prophesied by Saint Zappa? What idea of "neoconservative values" has any quality of life to it, or adds value to society as a whole or supports civilized political discourse?
What ever happened to "buyer beware"?
Perhaps on their next hire, they should hire someone who actually does research and makes fact-checks.
i stopped reading the ny times along time ago,
when a respected news source begins to mimick
a 1st grade reader, you just move quietly on.
"...He is, in other words, making the New York Times look silly..."
Oh, the NYT doesn't need ANY help from Evil Billy K to LOOK silly. They ARE silly, and got to silly all on their own.
Should we all just copy & paste this and send it to Art @ the times giving credit to Steve for the composition? I think that is my project for the night...ya just never know what might happen if you just ask. Heck, if Safire has a problem with his talents (or lack thereof), perhaps they might get someone that makes us at least think before we puke.
He should work for the Baghdad Gazette. It would be a chance to interview colorful locals and all the flowers he can eat.
Kristol is not "another Republican columnist." Kristol is a mouthpiece for the right-wing extreme fringe views of the neoconservatives. He represents the views of a currently influential minority of Americans.
That "quality" the Times is renowned for, is put in to question with a iring such as Kristol's. It's well documented that he's a rightwing hack, so what were they thinking. Same goes for CNN, who've now hired Tony Snow-wtf.
The column was basically a badly-written ad for John McCain. I hope the Times feels embarassed to get rid of him. The job of bad op-ed writing on the page is filled by David Brooks already. I hope they tell him he'd be better off at the likes of the NY Post.
When has Kristol been right about any topic he speaks on? He is so out of touch with the world, it is astonishing that he remains in the media light at all? The NYT has become just another yellow journalism rag from the big apple. . .
Wait a minute I recognize that prose style:
http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraqclintonletter.htm
The NYTimes' poor judgement is leading to a massive cratering and loss of revenue.
Heckuva job Pinchy.
-GSD
Let the dumbing down begin.
What more can we expect of the newspaper that brought us Judith Miller? Noam Chomsky is right, the NYT is the mouthpiece of elite Washington consensus.
On St. Patty's day we're all Irish!
On Easter we're all Catholics!
On Seder we're all Jewish!
On Hitler's birthday we're all Nazis!
Woo Hoo!!!
billy don't be a zero.
He was fishing for anti semitism backlash like all Israelis do.
Stop reading or mentioning this clown. Meanwhile, nobody on TV today, or on any of the blogs, is discussing the blockbuster story yesterday in the Times about the hard evidence that the Bush defense dept. was directing an organized propaganda campaign by former military officers (many of them on the payrolls of defense contractors) on every TV network and several cable networks. This operation is illegal. What is the deal with ignoring it? The gotcha crap about primaries, what somebody said somewhere, what might be on grandpa McSame's menu tonight, ad nauseum, does not shine a light on ongoing crimes by this administration. And what William K Jr. says on any given day is totally irrelevant. I give up.
"So, a few days before Pennsylvanians vote, the candidates could have commemorated not just the Exodus from Egypt..."
Or rather, the alleged mythological Exodus. But even that misses the meaning of Passover. The message is that the biblical god takes hostages and starts killing them off until his demands are met.
When they write his obituary , what will he be known for? The Iraq War and Dan Quayle: It's like if the guy who designed the Edsel later went on to invent New Coke.
LIBERAL MEDIA?
How dare anyone say that?
Remember when the Times’ editorial page chief, Andy Rosenthal, defended his hiring of Kristol?
To which I responded:
Flat out moronic. The conflating of Lexington and Concord with some god-awful religious tribal superstition and the second amendment has got to be hilarious if it weren't uttered by such a vile and dangerous person like Bloody Bill.
A conservative columnist that is a moron; who would of guessed?
Thank you Captain Obvious.
I noticed something, this hack made reference to the Democrats supposedly ignoring the concurent aniversaries of Concord and Lexingtone. Did McCain commemorate the battles, or is he in the same boat with those "dam Libruls?"
"Lightning rod" ? Maybe that explains the permanent smirk on his face. I just assumed it was electric Benoit balls up his ass.
That is a great pic of Billy the bloody.
Check Democracy Now, that is accessible on dish network you might find real news there. Or see it on the internet.
Who did Jeff Gannon was visiting overnight in the White House! Sorry but I really saw his site before he took it off, Description and all. It would be interesting to know were he slept. My guess is 3 choices. Bush, Rove or Scotty! All 3 have known insinuation of homosexual history
enough @ 28:
Scroll down. We covered it yesterday. It was part of Olbermann's Bushed segment and while I think it merited more coverage, we will make sure to have the Bushed segment up tomorrow to make sure the story doesn't go down the memory hole.
Almost exactly the same time they put William the Bloody in the saddle we started getting dunned monthly to subscribe here in the Midwest. Prepaid reply envelopes. It's surprising the solid weight of paper you can fit into an envelope if you put your mind to it.
FOX is State Sponsored TV @ 27:
You are so, fricken right.
It's impossible to watch the idiot box these days, without being assaulted by the personal phobias of a singular ethic group.
Hell, my favorite channel and my only escape from reality, 'the Silver Screen' , has been co-opted to show footage of the holocaust...... Leave me be.... for Christ's sake.
Or if they can't do that, at least the Networks and cable channels should have a policy of affirmative action regarding genocides. Lots of genocides throughout history, but only one is reported or documented on the box. Doesn't seem fair....
Thanks for the token Irishmen, in the form of Colbert........
Sulzberger Sr. had the nickname "Punch." Does Jr. go by "Punch-drunk" or just "Punchy"?
This points out the larger problem that the MSM equates balanced with unbiasedness. If the 'liberal' columnist says Bush is an idiot (and I think they have a few of those) then then journalistic integrity demands they get a columnist to say Bush is a genius... EVEN if Bush is an idiot. This problem dovetails nicely with the other problem that equates the Bush regime with conservativism just because they are republican even though the Bush presidency has betrayed almost all of the conservative values.
These two problems in conjunction end up giving us the Times, trying to be 'fair and balanced' hiring someone dumb enough to defend the indefensible.
Check Democracy Now, that is accessible on dish network you might find real news there. Or see it on the internet.
I would not believe anything print in America today. They were all pushing the war to Iraq! Bush was putting our Armies on Iraqi’s border before going to the UN was a real test that he was ready to attacking without help. I think it was really a lesson that people who avoid serving in Vietnam did send a new generation to die for there folly.
Who did Jeff Gannon was visiting overnight in the White House! Sorry but I really saw his site before he took it off, Description and all. It would be interesting to know were he slept. My guess is 3 choices. Bush, Rove or Scotty! All 3 have known insinuation of homosexual history.
AgentX @ 12:
yeah really, and the ultimate 'buyer beware' is: voting for G W Bush. a huge buyer's remorse on that one. too bad, fools, he's your fault.
man, that krisol is good
i always thought that holiday greetings from pols was just them attempting to pander to a specific group
never thought you could tell so much
i never understood why they just dont wish all their jewish constituents a happy passover and be done with it
but he has opened my eyes
mccain is a zionist
so if he loses the election, he and cindy will move to israel, live on a kibbutz and milk some cows
we need to assist them in doing that
This Passover collumn will make or break the election!
uncle joe hussein mccarthy @ 46:
He can take his pal Hagee with him.
The presence of Bill Kristol on the staff of the NYT is more serious than just "silly". Kristol's presence is actually indicative of something sinister.
After the Bush was elected, the Times turned its back on truth and honesty and instead became an active promoter of Zionist causes. Yes, they worked hand-in-hand with the criminal WASPs, but that does not excuse them. If the Bush Administration is the worst in American history, what does that say about the Zionists surrounding him?
They all act like Nazis. More and more people are wising up to that fact. The Jews must take the forefront in weeding out these characters or the public will hold them all responsible.
rear admiral billy kristol once led a battalion of g.i. joe dolls in a bold raid on an insurgent neighbor's sand castle.
would have pulled it off too, had he not landed under enemy cat shit.
bill kristol and norman podhoretz are war criminals. they are rasputin to bush/mccain as czar. what they whisper is eternal wretchedness and sorrow. they should not be listened to. they'll corrupt absolutely.
Thomas "FU" Friedman, David Brooks, Judy "I was boffing Scooter Libby and look where that got me " Miller, William Safire, and William "The Bloody" Kristol ALL make the Times look silly. And their sports section sucks.
Looks like his true brother of the spirit, John Wayne Gacey.
MCMetal @ 6:
There's something very WTF about his mouth, that's for sure. I can't see him talk without involuntarily thinking of a Terry Gilliam animation. Where's that falling 16-ton (tonne?) weight when we need it... :)
All of the MSM have been wearing the dunces hat since bush was appointed. They do it for the MONEY!
Not one person on abc,nbc,cbs,fox, has one ounce of honesty, intregrity, or honor!
these are all people that do the masters bidding for the money they make. It is the reason these people got into this business to start with.
It's like America has become the perfect storm of greed and stupidity? The republican party as a whole is profoundly greedy to the point that they don't care how many die if they can make a buck. life is cheap if it's not theirs.
Then you have the supporters, greedy yes but not nearly intelligent enough to take advantage of the greed in a way to make their lives better so they vote for things that can never make a difference in anyones life.
These are really very petty people, that don't like you for your hair cut or your skin color never mind that you are trying to help everyone. Because they don't care about anyone but themselves!
The Times was the last paper I quit reading.
No, really, let him write and write and write. He's pathetic. Always has been. And now the Times is presenting his stupidity to thousands who wouldn't know otherwise. Come on, not lots of people read The Weekly Standard. Why should they? But now Kristol's rank ignorance is on full display. People who wouldn't think about watching Fox read the NY TImes, and there for their enlightenment is William "The Bloody" Kristol. With every piece he writes the dummy juice flows from his ears - for all to appreciate. Besides, with every passing week more and more people abandon corporate media for the internet. So, let them destroy themselves. Bill Kristol serves that end. Too bad, though, that such a completly awful creature lives so well at the expense of others.
You know there is a bright side. Just look how utterly ignorant Kristol makes the conservative mind appear. If you were a conservative would you want to bask in the light of this moron?
goodgirlroxie @ 17:
Yes, this bunch truly believes that the USA should rule the world.
naschkatze Hussein @ 8:
And what does this have to do with the thread topic? Nothing! Just looking for an opportunity to trash Hillary?
xargaw @ 59:
Considering FOX, the quality of the current administration, and the drivel spewed forth by the rest of the neo-cons and religious right, I am pretty sure this goes unnoticed.
Sounds like a paper written by a 6th grader for an English class assignment. Good God! And they pay him for this.
To bring it full circle, I'd bet $10 Kristol was in on the writing of McCain's Passover message. That's how the right does things, working hard to create something from nothing.
BTW, Kristol's previous column whining about the Obama 'bitter' comment, was the height of laziness, coming on the Monday after the whole thing had been beaten to death already. NYTimes should get its money back on that one.
A big problem is Kristol is on tv/cable so much and so often, he does not bring anything fresh to his column--let alone anything insightful. By Monday, the column is old news. Kristol gives his more exciting material to the cable audience, and surely has no interest in contributing to the NY Times success for anything.
The other problem with Kristol is that, like the retired-talkingheads-Generals who are in cahoots with the Pentagon, Kristol's column is merely part of the right wing effort to carry a message.
That's creepy.
"I am PunditWise the dancing clown. Kill Iraqis for me."
Pol Pot-O-Cheesesuace @ 11:
Looking for a conservative voice that has value to it? That's like looking for a restaurant that sells the best "rancid steak" in town. Who needs it, and for what reason?
Why is this a suprise?
MSM is corporately owned
We must move the corporate agenda forward
Right wing extremists are the best way to keep the propoganda going because they actually believe the corporate B.S.
Shag @ 18:
CNN shed their credibility years ago. Hiring high-class media whore and former WH spokesman Tony Snow is just their latest blatant move.
I do not watch CNN. I will never watch CNN.
Boy oh boy - I'd already found clowns to be rather creepy, but that picture makes them nothing short of terrifying. Talk about the stuff that nightmares are made of....
All Kristol's columns make is fodder for the letter writers in response...not a bad thing.
Talk about shooting yourself in your foot. Hiring Kristol was probably the worst move any newspaper can make. Especially for one that has lost a lot of credibility over the years. The New York Times is becoming more like a joke or a super market tabloid by the day.
NoGWBpolicyleftinplace @ 66:
Absolutely. The RW bobbleheads hold up the late Buckley as an example of a great conservative "thinker". He might have been civil in his approach, but his ideas were just as wrong as the current neocons. As you said, there is no such thing as a valuable conservative voice.
In Kristol's defense, he DID come up with the best idea for a running mate for Sen. McCain when he suggested Clarence Thomas.
Worst case scenario: Thomas gives up his Supreme Court seat and McCain wins, which would give us a presidency that is STILL slightly better that bush/cheney.
Best case scenario: Thomas gives up his Supreme Court seat and McCain loses and Thomas goes the fuck away forever.
Either way, that asshat is off the court.
So...maybe it was a broken clock moment, but I give credit where credit's due. Kristol knocked that one out of the park.
Tim in Japan @ 73:
So, two bitter old men, one who can't talk straight, and one who isn't much interested in talking at all. Kudos to Kristol.
republicanSScareme @ 49:
What a sad, dismally ignorant comment.
slippy hussein toad @ 68:
They wanted to cement their spot as the Conservative News Network. Catapulting the propaganda for the Warpig.
(in a little boy voice) I'm scared.
Never really cared for clowns to begin with... now I got one more reason.
No one can be that happy all the time (unless you're a cheerleader, but we all know something's not exactly clicking in their heads as well.)
please please please. dont use clown pictures again, especially a mod of that clown. some of us have both a fear of clowns and a high risk of heart attack. im still trying to calm down. oh yeah... Kristol sucks.
Kristol is a propagandist. All propagandists are poor writers. Kristol excels other poor propagandizing composers in his weak use of transition to infer absurd conclusions, such as: Political pandering in recognition of Passover doesn't mean anything , but John McCain would make a better president because his Passover pandering also panders to Zionism.
William Kristol as Pennywise The Clown from Stephen King's "IT". Now there's an image which I would consider disturbingly apt -- a front man for a predatory monster.
I think the Times probably needed an administration mouthpiece pronto, and felt it would be too long until Dick Cheney himself was available to carpet bomb the propaganda.
Krystol is just another "trojan horse" analyst, only he's not actually an expert on anything. His record of wrong-headedness is unmatched, which makes him a perfect symbol of this administration.
Bill Kristol is a psychopath! The New York Times often allows psychopaths to print tons of lies in their news. How can we forget another member of the Psychopath club Judy "I was fucking right" Miller.
Kristol and Miller are very dangerous people!
Kathleen @ 83:
I think her real name is Judy "I was fucking Scooter Libby" Miller.
Never was so much owed by so many to so few
--- from a speech by Winston Churchill
Never has one wrong so often been given an audience of so many and written so few facts
--- from the editors of New York Times
Pazuzus Petals @ 75:
Whats so sad or dismal about the comment you quoted? Seems factual to me.... unfair to be sure - but whats fairness got to do with it?
Go tell it too a million or so dead Iraqi Muslims that have been unfairly treated. You can't, because there dead and as Thomas Friedman infamously said, because of "25 people (all of whom are at this moment within a five-block radius of this office) who, if you had exiled them to a desert island a year and a half ago, the Iraq war would not have happened." The war "was conceived by 25 neoconservative intellectuals, most of them Jewish"
Glenn Greenwald
Monday April 21, 2008 08:18 EDT
Bill Kristol, great man of sacrifice, on the duties of Passover
In his New York Times column today, Bill Kristol not only play-acts his standard role of Brave Warrior for Freedom but unveils his new role as Jewish theologian-moralist. Kristol decided that there is profound insight about the presidential candidates hiding in the Passover statements issued by each campaign: "There's a clear choice of worldviews here -- and not just for Jews, but for all Americans."
Needless to say, while Obama's Passover statement is "slightly New Age" and "multicultural," and Clinton's is "conventional" and lacking "anything interesting or distinctive to say," John McCain's Passover sentiments reveal a noble, powerful, strong and wise crusader for freedom:
Not John McCain. He understands Passover as a time for reflection about sacrifice: "As families gather together for Seders, members of the Jewish faith reflect upon the painful sacrifices made by their ancestors, the joys of freedom, and the triumph of inherent goodness over evil."
[Edited. Bandwidth is expensive. You may not reprint lengthy text from your own works or those of others, including news articles. You may link to them-Sitemonitor]
Pazuzus Petals @ 75:
Whats so sad or dismal about the comment you quoted? Seems factual to me…. unfair to be sure - but whats fairness got to do with it?
Go tell it too a million or so dead Iraqi Muslims that have been unfairly treated. You can’t, because there dead and as Thomas Friedman infamously said, because of “25 people (all of whom are at this moment within a five-block radius of this office) who, if you had exiled them to a desert island a year and a half ago, the Iraq war would not have happened.” The war “was conceived by 25 neoconservative intellectuals, most of them Jewish”
Unkl Witz @ 4:
Nepotisim...
Gmo @ 87:
Below is a Cut and Paste from Glenn Greenwald's blog at Salon.com
In Radar, Charles Kaiser has the definitive account of the hiring of Bill Kristol by the New York Times, and Kaiser also examines the snide, nonresponsive reply to objections from the Times' Editorial Page Editor, Andrew Rosenthal. Kaiser provides these facts, which I personally didn't know before but which one could have easily divined:
So Abe and Irv were great friends and fellow neocons. And they both molded their good boys, Andy and Bill, to follow faithfully in their footsteps -- Andy at the Times and Bill in Neocon World. Then, Andy and Bill became good friends just like their dads. And then Andy, who was given his position by Publisher "Pinch" Sulzberger (just as Andy's dad, Abe, was hired by Pinch's dad, "Punch" Sulzberger), then hired Bill to be a Times columnist, even appearing to waive NYT rules to do so (i.e., allowing Kristol to continue to work for Rupert Murdoch at The Weekly Standard). As always, the fuel of the conservative movement -- especially its tough guy neoconservative branch, which venerates self-sufficiency, resolve and meritocracy above all else -- is mommy-and-daddy-dependent nepotism.
Kaiser wonders whether Rosnethal is being ignorant or cynically dishonest in failing to understand the objections to Kristol's hiring (i.e., he's responding as though the objection is to hiring a "conservative" rather than to hiring what Kaiser calls "a third-rate neocon apparatchik, a stark symbol of the steep decline of the Washington culture -- and arguably the most consistently mean-spirited and wrong-headed pundit of our time"). Kaiser can't quite bring himself to believe that Rosenthal really thinks that Kristol is -- these are really Rosenthal's words -- a "serious, respected conservative intellectual" and "a captivating writer and keen observer of the political landscape."
But it shouldn't be very hard to believe that our establishment press sees people like Bill Kristol as Serious and respectable. That radical faction dominates establishment punditry, particularly in foreign policy, and they are featured in the most prominent media venues. If one really thinks about it, the page that hosts Maureen Dowd, Tom Friedman and David Brooks is a perfectly appropriate place for Bill Kristol to be.
not stupid @ 44:
Democracy Now is mostly inflammatory fearmongering as well. Just because it comes from the left instead of the usual nonsense from the right doesn't mean it's truthful. They tend to be good at exposing stories that get passed over, and then even better at distorting them way out of proportion. It would be nice if a journalist could actually be honest for a change.
What's the name of the guy who road through the streets warning of impending doom? Oh yes, Paul Revere, with his warning, "the British are coming."
In our day, we have another warning, by none other then the inestimable Jimmy Carter.
His warning, US Candidates MUST do as Israel says
The Israeli Lobby will be screaming Anti-Semite at President Carter, for this.
Silly, you say? He's making the New York Times look "silly?" He's making the New York Times look fucking asinine- which is his goal.
Let's face it, the MSM was hijacked after 9/11 and there is almost no truth at all to the so-called "news" anymore from ANY US news-source. As the dollar spirals downward, ever downward. Are you happy now with what you have reaped you fucking inbred, retarded neoCONS ?
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