SmithAntics

This post by Josh Marshall on Cheneygate and BushCo’s bungling and deceitful handling of it is worth a read, but what really struck me was Marshall’s matter-of-fact characterization of FOX “News” anchor Brit Hume as a “ringer journalist.” That is precisely what Hume is.

We have bona-fide ringer journalists at the highest levels of the mainstream news media.

I had almost become numb to that fact.

Anyway, here’s the clip:

All available evidence suggests that the Mr. Cheney is a man of deep moral cowardice. Makes a mistake and shoots his friend; blames the friend. Only he won't do it directly. So he gets underlings to do it for him. Forced to speak out publicly, he appears before a ringer-journalist guaranteed not to press uncomfortable questions.

It's all of a piece with the man's record. He's afraid of accountability. That's why he's such a fan of self-protecting secrecy. That's why he's big on smearing government whistle-blowers. It's really just two sides of the same coin. He's afraid of accountability. It's the same reason why he's such a notorious prevaricator -- lies to avoid accountability.

These are all the hallmarks of a moral coward.

Yeah, but he’s really big with the macho-Rethuglican-asshole set.