The Wrong Stuff... for the MSM

In the wake of Bill Kristol's "no more tears" gentle lathering of Sarah Palin this week ("The Wright Stuff," viewable here), it seems clear that the New York Times and other leading newspapers are being manipulated by political opportunists.

Palin sniffs at the Times in her stump speeches, sparking mass mockery of a leading newspaper for refusing to political propaganda along, unfiltered. Kristol, representing the hated Times, then passes along, unfiltered, Palin's denunciations of leading newspapers.

I suppose Spiro Agnew would be an MSM personality today if he were still with us. Instead that job falls to Kristol, Karl Rove, Michael Gerson and others. They now happily burnish their own credentials at respected publications, having spent years dividing our nation by condemning the veracity of these same publications. Kristol in particular benefits from the Times' brand while trying to destroy that same brand.

This parasitic arrangement will neither mollify political extremists nor advance the integrity of journalism.