David Broder's piece goes viral

[Chuckleberry]

Today, these are the number of comments posted by readers in the columns written by each Washington Post op-ed columnist, as I compose this thread:

Jim Hoagland
19 comments

David Ignatius
13 comments


Kathleen Parker
56 comments

George Will
36 comments

David Broder:
817 comments!

If you do the math you will find that Broder got 87% of all the comments posted among those 5 pundits.

And i would be surprised if 2% of those 817 were congratulatory of Broder, whose extremely unpopular column linked to below called for not prosecuting Bush-era torturers. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042402902.html


The commenters are simply slaughtering his piece.

Elsewhere, Glen Greenwald calls Broder a "morally depraved joke."
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/04/26/broder/index.html

The Washington Monthly says:

"who died and made David Broder Sigmund Freud? How on earth does he presume to know what the actually motivates those of us who think that the people who authorized torture should be investigated?"
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_04/017910.php

I invite those of you who haven't given Broder a piece of your mind to do so.

[BlooInBloo]

1. Atrios and Greenwald.

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2009/04/wanker-of-day_25.html

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/04/26/broder/index.html

[Cha]

5. Thanks for the

links.

[rucky]

2. He deserves to be reamed repeatedly for that column.

or am I just showing my "thirst for revenge"?

what an ass.

[CTyankee]

8. My thirst is much more for really good wines, actually.

My rational mind desires that justice is done and that the rule of law is upheld.

I realize that is a suspect opinion in Mr. Broder's truly strange piece.

[Tikki]

3. Welcome to DU....

:hi: Thanks for the links..will do.

Tikki

[Cha]

4. Rec'd~ so this OP will go

viral! Thanks for the news, Chuckleberry.

[Canuckistanian]

6. This paragraph in Broder's piece sums up his view

Their argument is that without identifying and punishing the perpetrators, there can be no accountability -- and therefore no deterrent lesson for future administrations. It is a plausible-sounding rationale, but it cloaks an unworthy desire for vengeance.

So it's vengeance that we want?

NO, MR. BRODER, IT'S CALLED JUSTICE.

:grr: :grr: :grr:

[Cha]

12. It's Justice for Crimes against Humanity

and that's something that broder is incapable of understanding.

[DKRC]

23. Not just Broder

Repugs are all about law & order until it's their ass in a sling. Torture is illegal. Period. You authorize torture - you're a criminal. Period. They know it. That's why they're trying to cover it up on the one hand, & excuse it on the other.

[Supersedeas]

25. enforcing the law is only vengence when political hacks want to obstruct it.

[lunatica]

7. morally depraved. I like that description

It fits Broder and his ilk as it fits the GOP and the MSM screaming heads. We have spent the last 8 years in a morally depraved and ethically barren existence. And they still fight for it like the desperately addicted.

[Captain Hilts]

9. The idiot that said in 1995 that the Clintons "trashed" DC. Go cry on Sally Quinn, David. nt

[Better Believe It]

10. I just posted a response at the newspaper

[stillcool]

11. I love the comments..

the article was what I would expect, but the comments were refreshing.

[glitch]

13. Simplistic wanker presumes to know the motivations of his betters.

And by his betters I mean just about everyone. Great post, welcome to DU! K & R

[Supersedeas]

26. what is the real motivations to make the great leaps of presumption?

I wonder.

[glitch]

27. By bringing everyone down to his level, he feels better about himself?

Just a guess.

[rhett o rick]

14. Mr. Broder says that we shouldn't "look back". Like that is a sin. Torture ok, looking back,

horrible sin.

[Canuckistanian]

15. Yeah, right, like Republicans didn't "look back" at Whitewater

Nor did they "Move on" with Monica Lewinsky.

[tblue37]

16. Well, there is that whole pillar of salt thing, ya know. nt

[underpants]

17. Oh NO!! not "careers and reputations."

Oh perish the thought

[WhiteTara]

18. wow. how does he sleep

with himself.

[Skittles]

19. just read Broder's column

utterly disgusting - yeah we tortured, so what? We need to just forget about it. WTF? :puke:

[Ken Burch]

20. I REALLY can't get my head around his closing graph:

"Suppose the investigators decide that the country does not want to see the former president and vice president in the dock. Then underlings pay the price while big shots go free. But at some point, if he is at all a man of honor, George W. Bush would feel bound to say: That was my policy. I was the president. If you want to indict anyone for it, indict me."

"Is that where we want to go? I don't think so. Obama can prevent it by sticking to his guns."

Er...why WOULDN'T we want to go there, Dave? Is there something wrong with hoping that, eventually(granted, it's a BIG eventually, but stay with me folks)Dubbikins Emeritus MIGHT actually agree to take responsibilities for his actions?

Why should that be unthinkable?

[olegramps]

21. The greatest failing must be attributed to the media.

The so-called journalists at the major new media outlets completely let the American people down. This is what I have been harping on since the invasion of Iraq.

Helen Thomas rightly named them the Bush administration's lap dogs. These worthless boot lickers took the White House briefings and published them as investigative journalism. They didn't question one damn thing and totally failed to inform the public of the involvement of the PNAC and how it had literally hijacked the Republican Party. Letters to the major news sources demanding that they inform the public as to the clear intentions of these radicals who dominated the administration fell on deaf ears. They refused to inform the public of the written intentions of these extremists to invade Iraq long before they captured the White House. The most essential part of the Republic, the Fourth Estate, that is crucial for the survival of the Republic has completely sold out. It became nothing more than a propaganda mouth piece for the Bush administration with the same lack of authenticity as people used to accord Pravda.

It is no better today then it was during the Bush-Cheney years. There is but a handful of journalists who are independent thinkers and none of them work for the major news sources. They don't dare attack the nitwit arch-Conservatives for fear of losing their jobs. In their present state of worthlessness their demise will not be long mourned.

[DKRC]

22. 1035 comments now

<...>
Suppose the investigators decide that the country does not want to see the former president and vice president in the dock. Then underlings pay the price while big shots go free. But at some point, if he is at all a man of honor, George W. Bush would feel bound to say: That was my policy. I was the president. If you want to indict anyone for it, indict me.
<...>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042402902_2.html

Yeah, I'll be over here holding my breath waiting for man of honor, George W. Bush to step up.

:rofl:

[last_texas_dem]

24. Broder is the quintessential "mushy moderate"

It's scary what passes for "moderate" opinion these days...