Wheezy Yawping From the Oldest Dog in the Liberal Kennel

David Broder believes Chas Freeman was run out of town by lobbyists (specifically, lobbyists who support “human rights in Tibet” and, of course, Israel).

No, Chas Freeman proved to be such a whack-job that even the editors of the Washington Post turned against him. Against Broder’s assertions that Freeman was another one of those truly essential people that the country really needs – offering, in his defense, his fluency in Mandarin and his “low-key” presence – one needs to weigh his lavish praise of the House of Saud, and his callous remarks about Chinese dissidents. Broder even acknowledges that many of Freeman’s on-the-record statements are “pretty startling”, but, golly, the guy’s just “smart as hell” (you know, like Tim Geithner). Wake me when Broder says something both true and original.

Still, the old dog is preferable to some of the high-strung puppies frisking and wetting themselves in what passes for the news and opinion fields these days. Keith Olbermann, for example, exhibiting the bizarre, but fairly common, combination of inferiority complex and huge ego, recently felt compelled to haul out his college diploma and show it to his television audience. This was in response to Ann Coulter’s withering lampoon of Olbermann’s false claims to ivy-league status (true, he did graduate from Cornell, but it was from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, not the prestigious School of Arts and Sciences). David Broder can be justifiably criticized for endlessly recycling his tired old liberal beltway blather; however, he at least maintains a certain dignity and professionalism. Olbermann’s extremism (in temperament and opinion), his mendacity and his mind-boggling unfairness make him come across as a drunken troublemaker trying to whip the saloon patrons into a lynching frenzy – and, consequently, have led to the delicious enjoyment of seeing him being flogged around the fleet by countless critics.

Thus, the two extremes of the liberal MSM kennel: an old hound who hasn’t moved off the porch in years, and a hyperactive puppy chasing his own tail. Is it any wonder that people are turning to alternative media to find out what is going on in the world?

(For example, to Ed Driscoll, to whom I owe a big tip of the fedora for the Olby links).

Update: Compare and contrast with the increasingly impressive Jake Tapper.