First from our overloaded ‘Bag comes this e-mail from J.M. concerning The Other Charlotte’s take on the New York Times’s investigative expose on Supreme Court nominee John R. Roberts–in which the Times discovered that Roberts, horror of horrors, had misspelled the word “Havana” as “Havanna” while serving as a junior White House lawyer for Ronald Reagan. (See TOC’s “Thank Heavens for a Vigilant Press,” July 29.) My word! Roberts made the politically incorrect mistake of taking Latin, not Spanish in high school! At any rate, here’s J.M.:
“I’m not shocked by the NYT’s publishing of ’deep, dark secrets’ from John Robert’s past. We’ve seen this sort of thing from the MSM before. When they can’t dig up anything truly horrifying and newsworthy on a conservative, they make the argument that said conservative is stupid.
“Think about George W. Bush. Prior to 9/11, it was always ‘example’ after ‘example’ of how stupid and ill-educated he was. For a brief time after 9/11, that behavior ceased, but then somewhere between Afghanistan and the ousting of Saddam’s regime in Iraq, they not only resumed this line of insults; they added ‘evil’ to it.
“And if only I had a nickel for every time [Dem presidential candidate] John Kerry’s superior intellectual abilities were lauded, and Dubya’s were pointed out to be slightly above that of a caveman, I’d be a very rich girl right now. The sad irony is, of course, that the MSM had it wrong all along. Bush performed better at Yale than Kerry! So, no, that the NYT has found shocking ‘evidence’ of John Roberts’, who graduated from Harvard and Harvard Law, clear lack of intelligence is not shocking. When they can come up with nothing else, that’s exactly what the press does: label conservatives stupid.”
Amen–although if “Havanna” is the best the Mainstream Media can do, I don’t think the “Roberts Is Stupid” line of inquiry is going to last for long.
Reader L. M. comments on TOC?s take on the newest meme among Bush-bashing liberal pundits (in this instance, Jonathan Chait and Robin Givhan): that the president and his proteges look too good. (See TOC?s “The Naked Left: Don?t Avert Your Eyes,” July 28.) Here’s L.M.’s e-mail:
“In Chait’s article he mentions that Bush was off playing–er, riding his bike when an airplane wandered into restricted D.C. airspace. Hey, it’s been said that Albert Einstein was riding his bike when he thought of the theory of relativity.
“Would Chait prefer to have a president in the doctor’s office rather than on the track? Making surly remarks instead of corny jokes? Appearing before VIPs tired and surly rather than alert and energetic? Diet and exercise affect your energy level, self-esteem, and mood, as well as health. And nobody needs to spends ‘hours a day’ exercising to get in shape. By spending three hours and 15 minutes total per week lifting weights and doing aerobics at home, and eating six small meals a day, I’m in the best shape of my life and I feel great. In fact, last Thursday, I spent 11 hours painting my house as the temperature hit 104. Then I went out dancing. I couldn’t have done this before I got in shape. If an regular gal like me needs a lot of energy, doesn’t the president need it, too?”
And here’s an e-mail from fave blogstress Book Worm:
“Speaking of naked liberals, courtesy of Little Green Footballs, I’ve learned that his pal the Zombie Operative took photos at the Breasts Not Bombs march in Berkeley. The photos are graphic, not just in their nudity, but in their appalling ugliness. Check it out, but be prepared for simultaneously laughter and retching!”
Warning to the squeamish: These Iraq war protesters are indeed buck-naked, male and female, and you may find yourself retching more than laughing. This is the kind of company that leftists keep. The photos exemplify Charlotte’s Rule of Naked People: You will never see good-looking men or women cavorting in the nude in public, whether it’s at a clothing-optional beach or on the streets of Berzerkeley. Never, ever will you see them.
And here are still more comments on Jane Fonda’s planned vegetable oil-fueled bus tour to protest the war in Iraq. (See “But She Won’t Be Sitting Atop a Suicide Bomb,” July 26, and the Mailbags for July 27 and July 28.)
From C.R.:
“While I agree with your assessment of Jane Fonda’s new crusade and where her talents might be better used (Iraqi women’s rights) I question your assertion that feminists are ‘pro-big government.’ Seems to me this administration delights in expanding the reach of the federal government into our private lives. Perhaps women should be protected from the ‘radical conservatives’….”
From H.S.:
“Jane Fonda is so unoriginal. She’s using the Ken Kesey ploy of the magic bus ride across America with a load of dope-smoking, acid-dropping hippies….It would be too perfect if her ex-husband Tom Hayden or…some close relatives of the Vietnamese soldiers by the Ack Ack gun accompanied her.”
From G.B.:
“I think the whole thing is a great idea as long as Ted Kennedy drives the bus.”
Naturally we assume you’re joking, G.B! You wouldn’t want to be in a motor vehicle with Ted at the wheel. As for C.R., I don’t see where the Bush administration, which has, among other things, removed the government-enforced 50-50 quota system for male and female college sports participation, has intruded into the private lives of either sex. Quite the contrary.