April 12, 2002

Every time I think Alexander

Every time I think Alexander Cockburn has finally completed his long descent into madness, he somehow manages to find room to descend just a little more. Awhile back, Gary Farber, Matt Welch, and I commented on this peculiar article, in which Cockburn planted a laundry list of gratuitous, unsourced anti-Semitic conspiracy theories into a column about Billy Graham and Richard Nixon. As I noted, Cockburn didn't make it clear whether or not he approved of these "stories sloshing around in the news." It was a strange thing to do either way. What, if anything, was he out to accomplish?

This piece (once again via Gary Farber) in the New York Press provides further comment, if no answer. He tells the story of a phone call from a writer from the New Republic ("Frank"-- is that Franklin Foer, maybe?) who asks him that very question.

Cockburn is a seasoned veteran of such persecution and smear campaigns. "Cockburn." writes Cockburn, "will be stigmatized yet again as the purveyor of anti-Semitic filth. It’s all pretty predictable." Accusing him of spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, Cockburn asserts, is itself part of a wider conspiracy to silence all criticism of Jews and Israel. But what if the Jews really are up to something? Isn't that a "legitimate topic of comment?"

Everyone's in on it. The New York Times, out-cloak-and-daggering the amateurish New Republic, has figured out a particularly ingenious way of facilitating Jewish wrong-doing:

And on the topic of the Times, have you noticed how that great paper has had a front-page piece rubbishing the Catholic Church as a nest of molesters every day for some time, especially since Sharon invaded Ramallah? The uncharitable could see this as a preemptive strike against papal criticism of Israel’s actions, and also to shift attention away from the blood-stained molestations of the adherents of one of the other monotheistic religions.

New York Times editors to Martin Peretz: "Look, this is getting out hand. I think they're on to us. You take care of Cockburn. We'll handle the Pope."

He also thinks that CNN's Rudi Bakhtiar is sending him secret messages by means of facial tics and meaningful looks, indicating "by cunning artifice her own distancing from the garbage her employers force her to regurgitate."

Alex: I see a nice, comfortable place in the uncharitable bin in your future.

Posted by Dr. Frank at April 12, 2002 08:57 AM | TrackBack