RK ARCHIVE - David Broder Jumps a Long Line of Sharks

Evidence? If you can stand it, read his column in today's Washington Post. Believe it or not, Broder manages to equate the corrupt, incomptent, arrogant, amoral, empty-headed Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, with the fiercely partisan, anti-Iraq-war Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The absurd, idiotic, inane title of the piece, "The Democrats' Gonzales," says it all. Why would Broder write such drivel? Apparently, he's in a snit fit about the fact that Harry Reid said the war in Iraq is "lost."

Of course, this is the same David Broder who said back in March 2003 that he was "unaware of any efforts by the administration to link Iraq to 9/11," despite many months of statements by Dick Cheney and others that, at the bare minimum, strongly implied such a link. And this is the same David Broder who said, also in March 2003:

Uh, Planet Earth to David Broder? You might want to watch Bill Moyer's show from last night, about what a "good and thorough job" the press did leading up to the Iraq War. Because unlike David Broder, Bill Moyers actually has some journalistic integrity. I just wish the so-called "dean" of the Washington press corps - how telling, by the way - had some too.

Comments

WaPo: 27 editorials rubber-stamping lies on Iraq (Andrea Chamblee - 4/26/2007 10:35:11 AM)

Did Bill Moyers really say these 27 appeared in a single month before the War?

Pincus and others explained that they had a "truth squad" that corrected errors and lies in Reagan's speeches until they were told to stop and they couldn't do it any more.

During that time, according the Katherine Graham's authobiography, Graham and editorial page editor Meg Greenfield were lunching weekly with Nancy Reagan at the Jockey club.

There is no Washington Press Corps today. There is a Washington Yes-Corps.

WaPo Editorial Page Becomes Stranger and Stranger (FMArouet - 4/26/2007 10:48:02 AM)

Well put, Lowell. Broder's grip on reality has been slipping steadily, but today's Limbaugh-like piece on Harry Reid was a new nadir, even for Broder. Broder has become just another Rovbot.

When the most lucid piece on the WaPo's editorial page on a given day turns out to be one written by Robert Novak, who observes today that Bush stubbornly lives behind a barricade, the WaPo surely has ceased to be the newspaper of Watergate legend. (You'll note that Novak did stress the Rovian meme that AG Gonzales is merely incompetent, i.e., if he is incompetent, he presumably cannot be deceitfully criminal.)

Broder is totally lost (bamboo - 4/26/2007 6:21:53 PM)

Broder's piece today is puzzling in so many ways, even in view of his precipitate decline as a serious commentator. Perhaps he has bought the conflation of the war in Iraq with fighting the jihadists. Or he's venting some accumulated hostility toward Reid, which would be partly understandable but hardly deserving such hypebole. He makes no sense.

50 Senate Dems Send Post Letter Supporting Reid (PM - 4/27/2007 8:40:53 AM)

http://www.washingto...

Gasbag -- a perfect name for Broder:

We, the members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, contest the attack on Sen. Harry Reid's leadership by David S. Broder in his April 26 column, "The Democrats' Gonzales."
In contrast to Mr. Broder's insinuations, we believe Mr. Reid is an extraordinary leader who has effectively guided the new Democratic majority through these first few months with skill and aplomb.***
Finally, in this age of scripted politicians speaking only to their base or claiming that they "don't recall" anything, the fact that Mr. Reid speaks his mind should be applauded, not derided. His brand of straight talk is honest, comes from the heart and speaks directly to the people.
THE MEMBERS OF THE SENATE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS