Podhoretz Finally Admits He Was Wrong
Podhoretz Finally Admits He Was Wrong
Responding to emails from Think Progress readers, the National Review’s John Podhoretz finally admitted what he’s been saying about Jamie Gorelick’s 1995 memo isn’t true. He still, however, doesn’t understand the scope of his error. And, in typical Podhoretz fashion, spends a lot more time insulting the people who pointed out his mistake than apologizing:
OKAY, THE CRAZIES GOT ME OVER AN ADVERB [JPod]
Evidently, among the 12,000 or so words I have written on the Able Danger matter on this website, I wrote a sentence in which I used the word “solely” — to wit, “I don’t really understand all of it, but the evidence suggests that the Able Danger information could and should have been shared with the FBI and wasn’t — solely owing to the ‘raising’ of the intelligence wall that was done by Jamie Gorelick herself in 1995.” That was hyperbolic, as it certainly was not “solely” the result of the raising of the “wall.” But the sentence as written was conditional, as I said at its beginning that I didn’t understand all of it, and that the evidence “suggested” something. That’s hardly a definitive statement of anything, though Leftoid robots doubtless can’t understand this because they only act on binary statements.
Actually, it wasn’t just the word “solely†that made Podhoretz’s statement problematic. Gorelick’s memo had nothing to do with whether the Able Danger data was shared because it wasn’t about information sharing between the Department of Defense and the FBI. It was about information sharing between the FBI and the criminal division of the Justice Department. Why can’t Podhoretz understand this?
Podhoretz concludes:
So if the robots who are unable either to appreciate distinctions, follow arguments as they unfold over more than a week and simply respond like programmed mental cases because of the workings of the Leftoid Internet want me to disavow the adjective “solely,” I do so. Congratulations. Now shut yourselves off. You need down time.
We love you too, JPod.
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What did you expect?
August 20th, 2005 at 10:19 amThe process of cognitive dissonance suggests it likely one doesn’t like being called out on blatant mistruths, and true to form, this guy gets real mad and huffy. You’d think that with all the practice, he’d be used to being called out, and would’ve found a coping mechanism by now…
August 20th, 2005 at 10:40 amGosh, he could have saved a lot of time and energy if he had just said, “Okay I goofed but you guys are jerks!”
August 20th, 2005 at 10:58 amDoes this man’s sniping arrogance know no bounds? He makes up more lies to excuse previous ones. ‘Hyperbolic’ is a term used to describe a rhetorical metaphor or simile that creates an exaggeration about the thing compared. It is not a synonym for ‘error’ or ‘lie’ as Podhoretz would have us believe.
Furthermore, Podhoretz’s persistent need to label an entire segment of the population as crazies for challenging him (even though he has been forced to concede that the challenge has merit) shows an appalling lack of journalistic integrity on his part. Of course I am merely assuming that the man claims to be a journalist. I do not see any actual evidence that he is. American political discourse is so thoroughly buried in the gutter today that it is on the verge of drowning in the filth produced by men like Podhoretz.
One has to ask, “Upon what meat does John Podhoretz feed?”
August 20th, 2005 at 11:03 amIt’s not that he can’t understand. It’s that he’s a liar.
August 20th, 2005 at 11:10 amOne has to ask, “Upon what meat does John Podhoretz feed?â€
He’s a vegetarian, I think, so that would be eggplant.
August 20th, 2005 at 11:23 amWow, he actually admitted to making a mistake. Congratulations and welcome to the human race.
So, I was flipping through the channels last night and saw Bill O’Rielly was on, so I wanted to see what he was raving about now and to my surprise, what did I see? Bill arguing with Anne Coulter. See, Bill was saying that he thinks that we will lose the war in Iraq due to troop numbers, Anne thinks the war is going great and that the current number of troops is more than enough. Anne thinks the reason we are losing is because of people like Cindy Sheehan.
I’ll go try and find a link to the transcript. It was very cool to see that the right doesn’t agree on staying the course.
August 20th, 2005 at 11:24 amThe right is fracturing. The troops are coming out and the argument is over what shade of lipstick should be put on the pig, and how much.
August 20th, 2005 at 11:33 amHmmm. I guess they won’t post it until Monday, accordin to this blurb on Bill’s site:
“All content taken from The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel. Each weeknight by 6 PM EST a preview of that evening’s show will be posted and then updated with additional information the following weekday by noon EST.”
Anybody else know where to find a transcript?
August 20th, 2005 at 11:33 amThe word JPod attempts to extricate himself with would appear to be ‘conditional’. The only word to which that can refer in the orginal paassage is ’solely’. Which utterly undermines the pod’s latest bleat. Now, JHog, STFU yourself, you witless windbag!
August 20th, 2005 at 11:37 amAre ‘distinctions’ anything like ‘nuance’?
August 20th, 2005 at 11:42 amThat’s so they can scrub it. Try Crooks and Liars, they may have video. Or what’s that site the watches Faux News so you don’t have to?
August 20th, 2005 at 11:43 amThat’s too funny – what a baby!
August 20th, 2005 at 12:03 pmWhere’d the ReThuglicans go?
August 20th, 2005 at 12:09 pmDid I say, “Pod always tells the truth?”
I’m sorry, I meant to say “He never tells the truth.”
Except for one adverb, the meaning is identical.
August 20th, 2005 at 12:22 pmYet another example of the maxim:
Being Conservative Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry.
August 20th, 2005 at 12:47 pmThey just can’t do it can they? They just can’t offer an unconditional apology or retraction. They have to throw in a little personal attack on the Democrats, then they have to qualify and mitigate their words because retractions just stick in their throats and cause them to gag.
August 20th, 2005 at 12:50 pmSee, that’s why I could never be a right wing radical. I’m not smart enough to appreciate the subtle distinction that transforms an outright slanderousl lie into a statement that is technically true if you say it just right.
August 20th, 2005 at 12:52 pmWouldn’t it also have been difficult to share the information, you know, because it didn’t exist and some wingnut, crazy, moonie lovin’ congressman has just recently made it up?
jes saying
August 20th, 2005 at 1:31 pmThe fact that he even acknowledged his critics is evidence that he and his ilk are beginning to recognize that they can’t lie with impunity any longer. His arrogant condescension, while typical, indicates that he’s going to have to get kicked in the teeth a few more times before he loses the attitude.
Keep kicking!
August 20th, 2005 at 1:45 pmJpod, do you ever wake up in the middle of the night thinking that you just might be nothing more than a hot gas bag?
August 20th, 2005 at 2:30 pmPhillip
You nailed it with the comment about victimization. It is a public relations tactic thay cant shake. It permeates the conservative movement. (See: Schiavo.) Able Danger is also a transparent distraction from Cindy Sheehan – for Weldon to be doing this, all of a sudden, right now – he said last night on Glox News he’s “known” about Able Danger for 3 months. Guess he was saving it up for when he needed it.
August 20th, 2005 at 2:30 pmI need to improve my vocabulary so I can adequately descsribe JPod. The funniest part is the reference to robots. As if he doesn’t get 1000 emails a day saying solely “right on JP, the liberals are destroying America!” but I guess they are from robots.
August 20th, 2005 at 2:53 pmROFLMAO!!!! Made my day! But, Podhoretz is still a pig, IMHO.
August 20th, 2005 at 5:01 pmHow bout turning loose the droids on Monica Crowley on her ABC redio show. She is usually a day or two late and a full Euro short. So she spent this Saturday explaining how Able Danger proved that 911 was caused by Clinton’s incompetence aided by, of course, Jamie Gorelik and her memo.
August 20th, 2005 at 5:30 pmJPod is a treasonous, reckless, liar. And he’s an asshole.
August 20th, 2005 at 6:18 pmIt all depends on what the meaning of ‘evidence’ is.
August 20th, 2005 at 10:02 pmSomething’s obviously eating the pod man. Reading this reminded me of my 3 year old when she’s caught doing a no-no. Bad boy. Bad.
August 20th, 2005 at 10:38 pmA JPod sounds like an mp3 player modified to disseminate conservative talking points.
August 20th, 2005 at 11:17 pmJPod is learning fast and becoming more gracious.
August 21st, 2005 at 3:19 amWell, he’s admitted one more mistake than George W. Bush has admitted. So he deserves some congratulations, I suppose.
August 21st, 2005 at 11:31 ambut – but – but – now I’m confused! conservatives see distinctions? but what happened to moral certainty? you mean everything’s NOT either black or white? how am I supposed to live now that he’s been good enough to tell me that – yeah – maybe – some things might be more wrong than others?
and if conservatives aren’t binary thinking robots, who reads the National Review?
August 21st, 2005 at 12:08 pmSomeone please clue JPod in to the fact that it is wingnuts who see things in the binary, which explains the religious fundamentalism connection, as well as the attack on Lewis Lapham for using a rhetorical device (egad!). A primary rule of writing, for JPod’s future reference, is don’t make definitive claims at the same time you say you don’t understand a matter. Not only is it incoherent writing, it just makes you look stupid. Unfortunately I don’t think that particular appearance in JPod is only skin-deep. . .
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