I've seen it all. Seriously. Professional political hack Michelle Malkin, the blogger that will go down in history for nothing criticized Walter Cronkite, America's most respected journalist, for his stance on the Iraq War - labeling him part of the "Cut and Run" crowd. Cronkite's stance on America's current war mirrors his view he had of the Vietnam War which he labeled as "unwinnable". As we all know, history has proven Cronkite's stance on Vietnam to be pretty much spot on. Malkin, who's biggest "journalistic" gig has been to sip kool-aid with all her buddies at Fox News, feels she's cut the muster to stomp on the credibility of such a lauded journalist who gave us first-rate news of three wars. The only war Malkin has been embedded in is the war on rationality.
If you look at the trackbacks, you'll see all sorts of intellectual masterminds suggesting that Cronkite was responsible for us losing the Vietnam War, a war which they claim was not only winnable, but a war we were actually winning. Somehow, somewhere, I picked up a ticket to Bizarro-land and boarded the bus. To believe this is actually not fiction seems fictional in and of itself. Any whacko can bash a very highly regarded journalistic mind (which Malkin has done). However, in any place other than Bizarro-land, people point and laugh at the whacko until she (in this case) put's her tail between her legs and promises never to write another editorial again. Because this is indeed such a place, people are jumping on the bandwagon and lining up to sound just as flamingly idiotic as she. Amazing.
My only question is how the hell do we get out of this place?
Posted by PJ at January 16, 2006 10:49 PM | TrackBackmichelle malkin is a confusing character. she is obviously of asian descent (AKA a minority) yet favors for everything possible to set back/silence minorities in america. for example, she does not support bilingual education (how detrimental is it to speak other languages besides english?) and an increased presence of minority journalism in the US media. Instead, she advocates internment camps, racial profiling, and still believes the vietnam war could have been won...
ms. malkin seems to have an identity crisis, secretly ashamed that she is a woman of color. it reflects in her racist, insensitive views. (i can say this because i am a minority myself.) Malkin needs look in the mirror for a change and accepts what she sees. she should visit a cultural event relevent to her heritage and learn about her ethnic background. perhaps she will realize that diversity is a part of what has made America such a unique, wonderful place to live.
(post continued after hitting the submit button by accident)
now, there is a caveat attached to my post. after following malkin's column in a hawaii newspaper for years, i do agree with pj that malkin tries to incorporate rationality to her view points. although i still do not support her opinions, i laud her for her attempt and i hope she is never discouraged by criticism. the best thing that comes out of her work and any journalists' work is the lively, and (hopefully) intellectual debates from readers. it just makes life a lot more interesting...
I apologize for my lack of clarity - I feel she's reporting on the war on rationality that her little buddies are waging. For a lack of better terms, call her an insurgent against intellectualism.
Posted by: P.J. Onori at January 17, 2006 04:26 AMi understood your point. as much as i DONT agree with ms. malkin's thoughts, i have to admit (playing the devil's advocate) that she TRIES to find rational perspectives on her subject matters. its by far, a lot more sophisticated thinking than a lot of the right wing writing i have come across--from newspapers, websites, etc. for example, the majority of folks who commented on the cronkite article had NOTHING substantial to back up their thoughts, just a lot of trash talking and conjecture with no facts...
Posted by: kellie kat at January 17, 2006 07:26 AMSo all people of color, regardless of their personal beliefs should fall in line with the liberal party line or they're automatically ashamed of THEIR RACE?
I am Chinese-Filipino. That means my parents are very conservative. It is their culture. Which is tied into their race. So growing up with them has influenced my own political views. How then does that make me automatically ashamed of my race?
What an overly simplistic statement to make. I shouldn't have even bothered to respond.
Posted by: Riss at January 18, 2006 02:21 AMYes Riss, it is an overly simplistic statement if directed to EVERYONE of ethnic background. My comment was a specific reaction to Ms. Malkin's views, not a generalization toward every person of color. Your interpretation of my comments are completely out of context. "I am chinese-filipino. That means my parents are very conservative." Now, THAT is an 'overly simplistic' statement. Many Asian-Americans are proud democrats, too.
On the other hand, I have friends and family members who are staunch republicans. However, they disagree with Ms. Malkin's commentaries on race. Her column appears in a weekly newspaper in my mainly ethnic home town. While her diatribes against the clintons, democrats, and television rarely results in raised eyebrows, her opinions on race related issues receive numerous, opposing comments ( found in the 'letters to the editor' section.) Surprisingly, many of these letters come from individuals who identify themselves as republicans.
Supporting minority cultures should not be correlated to whether one is a republican or democrat. it is an issue of ones respect for their identity, heritage, and the identities of others. Let me reiterate examples from my first comment--Ms. Malkin does not believe in bilingual education but supports racial profiling and the japanese-american concentration camps from WWII. This is the kind of mentality that supports the elimination of the minority voice in America.
Posted by: kellie kat at January 20, 2006 07:32 AMBy not giving Michele the hits. Stop reading her, get everyone you know not to read her, and she'll end up as an ex-pundit.
Posted by: margalitc at January 22, 2006 05:06 AM