Hiatt: NYT readers didn’t want Kristol because he ’supported the Iraq war.’
Hiatt: NYT readers didn’t want Kristol because he ’supported the Iraq war.’
Yesterday, after Weekly Standard editor William Kristol announced that his New York Times column was ending, his soon-to-be new boss, Washington Post editorial page editor Fred Hiatt, praised him as “a very smart, plugged-in guy” who “wrote a good column.” In the Washington Post’s article today on Kristol’s departure from the Times, Hiatt mused that NYT readers didn’t like Kristol because they didn’t want the paper to “hire someone who supported the Iraq war“:
Post Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt called Kristol “very smart and very plugged in,” saying Kristol would be an influential voice in the coming debate over redefining the Republican Party. “It seems to me there were a lot of Times readers who felt the Times shouldn’t hire someone who supported the Iraq war,” said Hiatt, adding that he wants “a diverse range of opinions” on his page.
As Matthew Yglesias points out, “it’s hardly as if Iraq war supporters have been purged from the NYT,” considering that Iraq war supporter David Brooks and Iraq war supporter Thomas Friedman are still on the op-ed page. Yglesias notes that the Post’s opinion section isn’t lacking Iraq war supporters either.
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Hiatt: NYT readers didn’t want Kristol because he ’supported the Iraq war.’»
– - So did Thomas Friedman and he’s a pretty popular columnist at the Times. Of course, Friedman doesn’t routinely cite inaccurate facts and is a forward thinking guy who isn’t pining away for America, circa 1954.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:31 am“Grampa, what was a newspaper?”
January 27th, 2009 at 11:31 amNo, Fred, the readers didn’t want Kristol because he was a lying, factually-ignorant mouthpiece. That he was, and remains, a chicken hawk war-monger is secondary.
PEACE
January 27th, 2009 at 11:33 amAs Matthew Yglesias points out…
– - D’oh!, maybe I should’ve read the whole post before I weighed in.
Carrion…
January 27th, 2009 at 11:35 amha ha
NOBODY wants a loser like Bill Kristol–except Fred Hiatt.
He can HAVE him.
ha ha
January 27th, 2009 at 11:35 amIf one follows this logic Hiatt is saying the WP does actively support the Iraq War and since it has been pretty much established that most Americans don’t…tell me again, Fred, why did you hire him?
January 27th, 2009 at 11:37 amI don’t really understand how someone gets to the position that Fred Hiatt has reached without being able to demonstrate and adhere to simple principles of logical thinking.
Matthew Iglesias, it seems does the valuable (but not particularly challenging) work of pointing out the exposed backside of Hiatt’s argument. Namely, “If the condition you identify actually existed, then other events would have necessarily happened, and the have not. Therefore, you might want to rethink your conclusion”.
Another example of this kind of disconnected thinking among wingnuts is the oft-repeated claim that Democrats only supported Obama because he’s black. (I personally heard an otherwise well-educated and accomplished conservative make this exact charge to my face. I laughed at him, and I think he realized the absurdity of the statement. For a moment, at least.) But to complete the thought — if Democrats only supported Obama because he’s black, then it would necessarily follow that they would have nominated a black candidate for president before now.
Likewise with Hiatt’s foolishness. If the NYT wanted to get rid of columnists who supported the Iraq War, they were kind of slipshod in applying that standard. Therefore, maybe a different excuse is warranted — like, that Kristol is a sloppy writer who is frequently wrong in his claims and predictions.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:38 amThey don’t want Billy Kristol because he’s a jagoff hack, among other things.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:39 amFred, do you think the Washington Post’s new fiction writer will help increase subscriptions?
Kristol is “plugged in?” To what, exactly?
http://jackrabbitcafe.blogspot.com
January 27th, 2009 at 11:39 amHiatt is a turd, like Kristol, and the WaPo is a crappy paper.
What else is new?
January 27th, 2009 at 11:41 amJust because he licks his fingers and sticks them in a wall outlet does not mean he’s “Pluged in”.
Kristol has been so consistently wrong on just about everything, why in hell would anyone waste time reading his column?
January 27th, 2009 at 11:41 amJohnnyRussia Says:
Kristol is “plugged in?” To what, exactly?
A modified septic system to make sure that the BS that fills his entire body doesn’t coagulate when he sleeps.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:42 amCOProgressive Says:
Just because he licks his fingers and sticks them in a wall outlet does not mean he’s “Pluged in”.
Kristol has been so consistently wrong on just about everything, why in hell would anyone waste time reading his column?
Plus he has creepy, beady, weasel eyes. Kirstol is a ZERO.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:43 amI’ll give Hiatt this point for myself, but moreso, he didn’t belong because he is a chickensh%t, chickenhawk, neo-conservative, PNAC, wonker, who has not been right about anything for the past ten years. He needs to find his real calling in life.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:43 amKristol……… missinformation czar
January 27th, 2009 at 11:45 amHe must be thinking of a different Bill Kristol than I am.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:45 amHe’s not very smart either, he just thinks he is. He is a legend in his own mind.
“Among conservatives there’s been too much pseudo-populism, almost too much concern and attention for, quote, ‘(We) the people’… After all, we conservatives are on the side of the lords and barons… We…are pulling up the drawbridge against the peasants.” – Billy Kristol – Dope!
January 27th, 2009 at 11:46 amBill Kristol is icky. He’s fine with Americans sending their sons and daughters into harms way, as he sits in his fine office. I repeat, he’s icky.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:46 amA diverse range of “opinions” is all well and good, but the problem with columnists like Kristol is that they simply make stuff up to support their positions. It is impossible to have a discussion with somebody who is willing to lie. The Washington Post has become a home for several such columnists so Kristol will fit right in. We pay in part for their lies with the blood of American lives.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:46 amI just checked out the comments on Hiatt’s article. Pretty good tide swamping his hackery, at leats the first page.
(BTW — I have to register my appreciation for TP’s handling of comments. I find it disconcerting when comments are posted with the most recent on top, like WaPo does. Not everyone joins a discussion at the start, and the way TP and others present them, from earliest to most recent, is much easier to follow.
Thanks, TP.)
January 27th, 2009 at 11:47 amVery well said, fletc3her in #20.
Nail on the head.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:48 amOnce upon a time, the NYT & WaPO were respectable papers with a sense of civic duty…. publishing the Pentagon Papers , investigating Watergate, even causing JFK fits about Neil Sheehan’s covering of Vietnam.
What have we come to?
January 27th, 2009 at 11:48 amJebus. Too bad we can’t run our cars on delusion… there seems to be a freaking *endless* supply!
January 27th, 2009 at 11:50 amThe Post’s editorial page also isn’t lacking in torture supporters and apologists. Check out today’s Richard Cohen column and be amazed.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:55 amJohnnyRussia Says:
Kristol is “plugged in?” To what, exactly?
Wingnut welfare.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:57 amTIRED OF HIATT’S B.S.? DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
NewsAlert@letters.washingtonpost.com, letters@washpost.com, georgewill@washpost.com, jimhoagland@washpost.com, ombudsman@washpost.com, kurtzh@washpost.com, abramowitz@washpost.com, achenbachj@washpost.com, allenh@washpost.com, aranam@washpost.com, argetsinger@washpost.com, balzd@washpost.com, barrj@washpost.com, bennettp@washpost.com, benningv@washpost.com, beyersd@washpost.com, bonesteelm@washpost.com, priestd@washpost.com
January 27th, 2009 at 11:59 amboustanyn@washpost.com, religion@washpost.com, brownw@washpost.com, castanedar@washpost.com, rajiv@washpost.com, chod@washpost.com, clarkp@washpost.com, cohenr@washpost.com, cohensh@washpost.com, coopermana@washpost.com, copelandl@washpost.com, davenportc@washpost.com, davisp@washpost.com, deyoungk@washpost.com, duttj@washpost.com, dvorakp@washpost.com, eggend@washpost.com, ahrensf@washpost.com, aizenmann@washpost.com, donovanc@washpost.com, givhanr@washpost.com
Speaking of Fred Hiatt, whow the FU(K does this right-wing hack get listed as the third most influential LIBERAL in the media?
What are they smoking at Forbes?
Andrew Sullivan? Thomas Friedman? Christopher Hitchens? Fareed Zakaria? Chris friggin’ Matthews?
How are these people liberals?
Because they’re not raving regressives bent on drowning government in a bathtub?
To me, it just demonstrates how un-liberal our media really is.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:00 pmNice to see Princess Sparkle Pony here. Been a long time, no?
January 27th, 2009 at 12:01 pm…adding that he wants “a diverse range of opinions” on his page.
So maybe an Al-Qaeda PR hack can have a column there too? Should WaPO give column space to Jihadists? How about a schizophrenic suffering from paranoid delusions? That’s a pretty diverse opinion. Where does WaPO draw the line between “diverse” and just plain batshit? I’m really curious to know.
.
Daddy-O Says:
NOBODY wants a loser like Bill Kristol–except Fred Hiatt.
The question now becomes, who wants Fred Hiatt?
.
ralph the wonder llama Says:
I don’t really understand how someone gets to the position that Fred Hiatt has reached without being able to demonstrate and adhere to simple principles of logical thinking.
The same way Kristol did. Apparently they both have lots of family connections to the inbred richy-rich crowd.
.
ralph the wonder llama Says:
…that Kristol is a sloppy writer who is frequently wrong in his claims and predictions.
I will grant to Hiatt that Kristol’s pieces regarding the Iraq war have been many of the most shining examples of his poor writing, sloppy thinking and inerrancy. But that’s not the same thing. It’s related (at some point you’ve got to be a moron to be for that war) but not identical.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:03 pmActually I think the NYT’s readers just don’t want to read columns where the person writing it have to lie to make their point. Apparently the Post doesn’t see that as a problem.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:07 pmNobody liked him because he made more mistakes in his articles than a first grader taking an Algebra test not to mention he kept pushing his neocon ideology/dogma that won`t work in this country muchless anywhere else.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:08 pmNYT readers didn’t want Kristol because he is a bacon strip on the underwear of America.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:09 pmralph the wonder llama Says:
How are these people liberals?
You don’t know Conventional Media Wisdom Rule #1?
1. Left of Limbaugh = liberal.
(Rule #2 is Whatever happens is Good For Republicans.)
That’s all you need to remember.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:09 pmI’m a little slow this morning…it suddenly dawned on me why the Repug Road Show is so against the idea of expanding Internet access to rural America.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:12 pmThat’s true. We don’t need a diverse range of accuracy.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:14 pmThe hidden blessing in this is:
This will help to ensure a democratic majority for decades.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:15 pmKristol is a “very smart, plugged-in guy”?
Well, he might be plugged-in alright -to all the wrong sources.
Could it be readers didn’t want him due to his divorce from reality?
Nah, couldn’t be… impossible…
January 27th, 2009 at 12:20 pmThe RNC is looking for a new Chairman. Can we do a write-in campaign for Bill?
January 27th, 2009 at 12:22 pmSmart? Are they serious? Kristol was wrong about EVERYTHING! THESE GUYS DON’T LIVE IN WHAT I CALL THE REAL WORLD. THEY SURROUND THEMSELVES WITH NEO-CONS AND ARE TRULY LOST.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:23 pmSeriously, it must be pretty awesome to have close personal friends who are willing to risk their credibility and become national laughingstocks just to save your career. I wish I had people who were willing to light themselves on fire and dive into a pool of crap for me like Hiatt’s doing for Kristol.
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ectoendomezo Says:
I (as if it mattered) particularly like the idea of a Jihadist Op Ed section in a Major u.S paper..
It would be easy. just draw a turban and a beard on Kristol’s pic, and reprint his column with some of the names changed around.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:26 pmralph the wonder llama at 11:47 am
(BTW — I have to register my appreciation for TP’s handling of comments. I find it disconcerting when comments are posted with the most recent on top, like WaPo does. Not everyone joins a discussion at the start, and the way TP and others present them, from earliest to most recent, is much easier to follow.
Thanks, TP.)
I want to heartily concur this appreciation. The main reason I gave up on Huffingtonpost was the “reply” feature, plus the pre-moderation of comments, made most threads into a chaotic mess. If you need to get to the most recent comment, that key that says “end” will take you there instantly. Plus, reading from bottom to top is not natural. My thanks as well.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:27 pmHeh. I know what Billy Kristol *ought* to be plugged in to…
An ECT machine. BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!!!!
January 27th, 2009 at 12:28 pmWasn’t there a thread here earlier on O’Reilly claiming not to know what was offensive about the “Barack the Magic Negro” song? It seems to have vanished. Did I just dream it?
January 27th, 2009 at 12:35 pmIraq war supporters still have jobs as pundits why??
January 27th, 2009 at 12:58 pmThomas Friedman, William Kristol, David Brooks, etc…
They are all shills for Israel’s expansion in the Middle East. They are all Zionists.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:59 pmFred Hiatt grows smaller with each passing day.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:13 pmBecause Kristol supported the Iraq war is certainly more than sufficient justification for NYT readers not to want him. One might offer up another reason for not wanting him: MEDIOCRITY.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:43 pmIt’s not so much that supported the war in Iraq, although that is heinous enough, it’s also that he was always wrong about it.
[the war in Iraq] “could have terrifically good effects troughout the Middle East”
September 18, 2002 column
[removing Saddam] “would start a chain reaction in the Arab world that would be very healthy”
November 21, 2002
Very few wars in American history were prepared better or more throughly than this one by this president.
March 1, 2003
The first two battles of this new era are now over. The battles of Afghanistan and Iraq has been won decisively and honorably.
April 28, 2003
“He’s [Saddam Hussein] got weapons of mass destruction. At some point he will use them or give them to a terrorist group to use…Look, if we free the people of Iraq we will be respected in the Arab world….France and Germany don’t have the courage to face up to the situation. That’s too bad. Most of Europe is with us. And I think we will be respected around the world for helping the people of Iraq to be liberated.”
2/20/2003
As far as I know Bill Kristol has only been correct once in his life.
If the American people really come to a settled belief that Bush lied us into war, his presidency will be over.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:48 pm11/21/2005
I guess Hiatt just forgot the part where Kristol hasnt gotten a thing right other than his name for the last six years or so. A broken magic 8 ball would be a more accurate prognosticater than Kristol
January 27th, 2009 at 2:24 pmAll mainstream MEDIA supported the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afegahnistan. All mainsream MEDIA made use of PENTAGON PROPAGANDA. Too late to try to purge themselves from what they did.
January 27th, 2009 at 2:38 pmElBruce Says:
Where does WaPO draw the line between “diverse” and just plain batshit?
January 27th, 2009 at 3:20 pmProbably somewhere around consistently against the war from the beginning, for single payer, against torture and war crimes (all of them), against dumping further trillions into the Pentagon, against blindly supporting every Israeli/Likud fever dream that ends up with hundreds or thousands dead…
Only the Serious need apply.
Why does Fred Hiatt want Bill Kristol?
I believe the correct phrase is “Media Wh*re”, if I’m not mistaken.
It’s not about selling papers or advertising. It’s about copping the corporate line–tax cuts, corporate welfare, the slippery slope leading to outright fascism.
Da you go, man, da you go.
January 27th, 2009 at 3:52 pmWho wants to read a column by a guy who is ALWAYS 100% WRONG!!!!!!!!
Who wants to read a column by an obvious fascist and probable war criminal. Isn’t he a founder oF PNAC? Many believe they were involved in 911. Would not surprise me!
January 28th, 2009 at 12:57 pm