Wednesday Goldfarb Bashing

John Schwenkler was none too happy with the news that The Weekly Standard's Michael Goldfarb is off to the McCain campaign, got challenged on it by James Joyner, and offered this nice reply:

What Radley Balko said, I guess, though let me add that my initial gripe was with what this appointment reveals about the kind of politics Team McCain is going to be engaging in, and whether or not they would be a break from those of "the past". And a quick look over the most recent weeks of Mr. Goldfarb's repertoire of "online activities" - Nancy Pelosi's observation that the Iranians helped to tame hostilities in Basra amounts to "glorification of the enemy"; the New York Times is "committed ... to fighting no wars at all" (Really? I didn't get that memo); Democrats concerned about the strength of the Iraqi government are "divorced from the reality-based community"; scummy campaign advisers are simply the result of "day jobs which may create conflicts of interests"; the Democratic party is "chicken"; and so on ad nauseam - suggests that his contributions to the McCain message may end up being ... how shall we say? ... less than statesmanlike. Is Goldfarb "qualified" to make such contributions? Of course. But I stand by my initial expression of disgust.

Goldfarb, meanwhile, is only one of a pretty large number of people who've shuttled back and forth over the years between organizations McCain controls and organizations Bill Kristol controls. That's not to say that junior staff at The Weekly Standard are going to be controlling policy in the McCain White House, but McCain obviously has an affinity for a Standard-style approach.

Comments

Of course the political instincts of people like Goldfarb is what brought us a President with a 30% approval rating. So it is great news for Democrats if the likes of Goldfarb are going to be working their magic for McCain.

Posted by DTM | June 4, 2008 9:47 AM

Here's a heretofore unspoken Hillary employment option: McCain's VP spot. Obama disses her, her egomaniacal impulses take complete control (as opposed to the 98% control they currently exercise) and she accepts the spot. Many of her supporters already have expressed the intent to vote for McCain and this would cement it for them. She makes no guarantees to McCain about 2012, counting on McCain's advanced age and by then (more) noticeable senility to garner her the top spot on somebody's ticket. Ridiculous? Yes. Improbable? We're talking Hillary here, so no, not out of the question. After all, she and McCain are not that far apart on some issues. Northrop, TRW, Raytheon and Halliburton would love such a ticket, especially since it might be McCain's only chance at winning. Also Hillary's only chance of immediate employment in the White House.

Posted by steve duncan | June 4, 2008 9:48 AM

Oh noes! Somebody called some people "chicken". I think I'm going to faint! How shrill is this campaign going to get!?

Posted by Al | June 4, 2008 9:56 AM

Exactly right, Matt, and thanks for the link. There's something ... well, unseemly to say the least about seeing someone who spent the last however-many years of his career slobbering over McCain's every move and bashing the hell out of his enemies rewarded with a job on his campaign team. Maybe Bob Barr will do the same for me, though ...

Posted by John | June 4, 2008 9:57 AM

I have never heard of such a horrible thing. I am sure no other candidate would hire someone from the press.

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2008/05/obama_hires_a_journalist.php

Posted by Dave | June 4, 2008 10:34 AM

Michael Goldfarb is a great patriot - and a fit young man. There is only one thing left for him to do - join the army. After one of his appearances on Bloggingheads, one of the commenters started the movement to draft this chickenhawk. Join the movement:
http://draftgoldfarb.blogspot.com/

Posted by Martin | June 4, 2008 11:00 AM

draft this chickenhawk

So shrill. You're going to give John Schwenkler the vapors!

Posted by Al | June 4, 2008 11:14 AM

Goldfarb's problem is that, like his old colleagues at The Standard and his new colleagues in the McCain campaign, he's a juvenile prick who favors policies that undermine America and gets a lot of soldiers and Marines killed.

Posted by A.B. | June 4, 2008 1:33 PM

I'm sure this is common knowledge to the rest of you, but it wasn't until I Googled "Michael Goldfarb npr" that I found that there's more than one in the mass media. The "other" Goldarb goes so far as to note that he ain't that Weekly Standard guy.

Posted by cmholm | June 4, 2008 4:00 PM

I've been trying to get a sense what conservatives think of Obama.

The bad news is they're completely out of their minds. Tossing socialist, terrorist, etc like cheap insults and ranting semi-hysterically.

The good news is that if Obama pulls it off there is the potential for Americans to flip and start viewing 'conservatives' the same way they view the left wing's tinfoil hat brigade, as nutjobs not worth listening to.

Posted by gibbon1 | June 5, 2008 4:43 AM