Mickey Kaus, Professional Asshole

Missing Kerry Mate Surfaces, Fires - Alas, it's Douglas Brinkley's story, is the title of a rant in Kausfiles, and a prime example of why I've essentially tuned him out. Kaus is ready to take at face value the story of Stephen Gardner, the single crewmember of Kerry's swift boat command who has a negative view of the retired Lieutenant. Disguising his faith in Gardner's story by attacking the writer of the Time article as "publicity-mad" Douglas Brinkley (who admittedly penned a sympathetic biography of the Senator), Kaus demonstrates why Slate needs to can his sorry ass and let him run off to the Freepers, or the National Reviewers or like pea-brains. Sadly, though, I expect that Kaus will continue to peddle his blather for the online publication.

Slate is akin to some of the worst of the mid-to-late 90's Madison politicians. As someone wrote to the local free weekly just before I left the isthmus, there was so much 50's style conservatism passed off as 90's style liberalism that he or she was ready to move back to UTAH, for chrissakes. Slate likewise spends so much time trying to prove that liberals are capable of conservative thought that they've become almost the moral equivalent of The New Republic. Check out these gems:

A hatchet job on George Soros, who should be commended for seeking to level the political playing field by donating money to various Democrats and/or liberal/left causes.

A slash piece, singling out Wonkette and Gawker, but essentially dismissing the entire blogosphere as worthless.

Here's a piece that will have the Rethuglicans licking their chops: how to attack John Kerry on the basis of his Catholicism.

Here's a "condensed" Tour of Duty, highlighting a number of perceived weak points for the candidate, e.g., some folks think he's a phony because he has consistantly excelled at everything he tries.

In spite of a decent piece by Fred Kaplan that tells the facts about Bush's flat out lie regarding Kerry's bill(.pdf)--in summary, it was a deficit cutting measure that sought to recover $1.5 billion dollars the National Reconnaisance Office hadn't even spent, along with non-military cuts (furthermore, it should be noted that the biggest criticism of our intelligence services in light of 9/11 was its over-reliance on satellites, i.e., precisely what the NRO is all about)--Slate is becoming the sort of stuff that is read by folks who never really were on the left, but figured it was cool to look like it during college.