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Fred Hiatt's Continued Penchant For The New McCarthyism

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Media
Posted on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 08:12:59 AM EST
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Glenn Greenwald discusses the latest addition to the WaPo Editorial Page Editor's New McCarthyite stable:

Marc Thiessen catapulted himself from obscure, low-level Bush speechwriter into regular Washington Post columnist, joining fellow torture defenders Charles Krauthammer and Bill Kristol. Today, Thiessen's column defends the Liz-Cheney/Kristol smear campaign against DOJ lawyers [. . .] Congratulations, Fred Hiatt: every time people are certain you can't possibly bring the Post any lower, you manage to prove them wrong.

Yes, the Hiatt Era at the WaPo will be remembered in infamy. Here's something I wrote about Hiatt in 2005.

Speaking for me only

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    Fred Hiatt's Continued Penchant For The New McCarthyism | 11 comments (11 topical)

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    it was fun to see Ken Starr (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Capt Howdy on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 08:44:36 AM EST
    on the tube last night slamming them for this stuff.
    and I do mean slamming them.

    hereza (none / 0) (#2)
    by Capt Howdy on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 08:55:17 AM EST
    link

    Parent
    Its odd (none / 0) (#5)
    by Socraticsilence on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 01:37:16 PM EST
    but Post-Bush there's been this shakeout from guys who were puratanical and partisan but also principled (even if we didn't agree with said principles) and those were just hacks- Ted Olsen and Ken Starr (as well as Bob Barr of all people) have come out on issues in a way that makes you think that perhaps they just believed in the cause they fought for- I mean Olsen's one of the primary lawyers against banning gay marriage- what the heck?  

    Hell while he's morally odious John Yoo seems to be arguing in good faith (he basically treats the law as a game and ignores the human implications- something that is laudable if not taken to extremes).  

    Parent

    I have to agree with (none / 0) (#3)
    by Zorba on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 11:43:28 AM EST
    every characterization you made about Hiatt in 2005, BTD, and it's just as true today, if not more so.  Hiatt became editorial page editor in 2000, and it's been all downhill since then at the Washington Compost.

    Ah, vintage BTD (none / 0) (#4)
    by MKS on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 11:55:24 AM EST
    Glenn says he would be happy if the Washington Post goes out of business.....Maybe not such a bad idea....

    And, don't forget the New York Times.  On issues of war, it has supported the Republican view....

    Does anyone think Watergate (none / 0) (#6)
    by Socraticsilence on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 01:38:52 PM EST
    even gets published today? The Pentagon Papers (actually this one I think probably does- if only because similar though less damaging things were also published about Iraq/detainee policy)?

    not (none / 0) (#7)
    by Capt Howdy on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 02:39:31 PM EST
    at the post

    maybe on salon.com

    Parent

    That was then, (none / 0) (#8)
    by Zorba on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 02:47:45 PM EST
    this is now.  I'm not so sure that the WaPost would publish it today, at least, not without a whole lot of sitting on it for a good while and waffling.  Different Publisher, different Executive Editor (and I do wonder what Ben Bradlee thinks of the job the WaPost does today; he's still a vice president at-large of the paper).  I never did like Len Downie, Jr., and I have no feel for Brauchli, except that he's kept Fred Hiatt on as Editorial Page Editor, and that, in my opinion, is not a good sign.

    Parent
    Anyone think (none / 0) (#10)
    by BackFromOhio on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 08:54:21 PM EST
    participation in Watergate break-in or cover-up gets punished today?

    Parent
    if a Dem did it (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by Socraticsilence on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 11:27:53 PM EST
    sure, but with the GOP- probably not- I mean while it was less petty, you could make a pretty easy case that Iran-contra was bigger scandal than Watergate and not even Bush took a major hit (Reagan was exempted possibly correctly- on senility).

    Parent
    Just love the word "penchant!" (none / 0) (#9)
    by Radiowalla on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 04:43:16 PM EST
    It has a certain "je ne sais quoi." There aren't too many occasions when it is "de rigueur,"  but this is one of them.  

    Fred Hiatt's Continued Penchant For The New McCarthyism | 11 comments (11 topical)

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