Charles Krauthammer vs. Andrew Sullivan: no contest
Oops, says Andrew Sullivan, as he feels the cold touch of Charles Krauthammer’s exquisitely sarcastic stiletto as it begins to eviscerate him.
Moral of the story: do not take on Krauthammer unless you’ve checked your facts. I doubt that Andrew will be coming back for another go-round at this particular target.
Krauthammer’s entire takedown of Sullivan is well worth reading. And his final summation of Sullivan’s usual modus operandi is priceless: leaping from nonexistent fact to blanket ad hominem without even a pause for a reality check.
Why Sullivan is still writing for the Atlantic is beyond me.
Why is Sullivan still writing for the Atlantic? Because, in spite of their sporadic flashes of brilliant reality, the Atlantic has been drunk on the kool-aid for a long time. Sullivan stays, not in spite of his trollish buffoonery, but because of it.
Moral of the story: do not take on Krauthammer unless you’ve checked your facts.
I’m not sure I would take on Krauthammer even if I had checked my facts!
But I sure wouldn’t get caught in public like Sullivan did. Sheesh!
Gotta love Charles 🙂
Andrew apologizes and corrects for once.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/11/a-correction-and-an-apology.html
Charles Krautheimer may be paralysed as a result of a diving accident. It did not affect his power of reason and meticulousness with the facts. Thank God!
Huxley’s right. Do not attempt to mess with Charles unless you’ve checked, rechecked, and double checked your facts. And even then you might be embarrassed.
A better question is why is Krauthammer writing for any publication, given that he’s been consistently and laughably wrong about every major issue for over a decade.
“laughably wrong about every major issue for over a decade”
Yeah! That bonehead wanted to divide Iraq in three pieces a few years ago, assuring perpetual civil war in Iraq. How stupid is…………wait a minute……correction……that was Joe Biden. Nevermind.
My guess is low standards on the part of the Atlantic.
Sullivan is okay, but Krauthammer rocks!
Why Sullivan is still writing for the Atlantic is beyond me.
Which may help explain that while I began reading my father’s Atlantic subscription when I was in high school, and had a subscription myself as recently as three years ago, I no longer subscribe.
Why the hell is anyone still reading Sullivan?
Sullivan is a controversialist first and foremost, he thrives on and needs contention and controversy. The Atlantic uses him as a high profile traffic attractor, he is an established blogger with a brand identity.
At one time he focused on magazine style pieces and longer essays, as an editor and a writer. Now he is consumed with the immediacy of blogging, and it is clear that his thought processes have been affected by the change of venue. Blogging like he does encourages reaction, emotional first responses; longer essays involve greater consideration and allow for thinking through alternatives.
There are other explanations as well, but I’ll be charitable during the Advent season