There’s a pothole in the road that’s tempting to step in. The Rovian methodology involves rapid fire Ad Hominem attacks with a few other classical logical fallacies thrown in. They generate these contemptuous counter attacks quickly, and move to the next one as soon as the last one gets refuted effectively. Only rarely do they even linger to say much about the issue that’s been criticized. The N.S.A. spying is an exception. I suppose that this one actually scares them, so the Attorney General has already certified Bush’s supreme power [42 pages – a spellbinder!].
The trap is to respond in kind. I do it. Everyone does it. We can’t help it. Their provocation is just too compelling. It reminds me of a National Geographic special on tornado chasers, racing either towards or away from tornados with equal zeal – just because they are there. Right now, Firedoglake is on a roll chasing tornados – Kate O’beirn, Deborah Howell, Chris Matthews, Michelle Malkin. While the prey is deserving, Ad Hominem attacks only appeal to like-minded people. They turn off others. It seems to me that right now, the top line blogs have a vital function – keeping people like Al Gore as informed as he was in his recent speech, or supporting the John Murthas of the world.
Whether the top blogs wanted the role or not, I think they are going to be a big force, directly and indirectly, in the coming mid-term elections. And it’s not going to be from chasing the likes of Michelle Malkin, it’s going to be by providing the kind of research and editorializing that The Left Coaster gave us with the Niger Forgeries. And McClellan gave a hint about what’s going to be coming soon with his contemptuous "Who said that? A blogger?" They’re figuring out where a lot of their problems with being watched so closely are coming from.
That said, I’ll bet I’ll be ranting about someone within the next 24 hours…
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