Obama does reserve a certain respect for opinion writers such as Tom Friedman and David Brooks of The New York Times, Jerry Seib of The Wall Street Journal, E. J. Dionne of The Washington Post, and Joe Klein of Time. "My impression is that he reads a lot of columnists," says Brooks, "and therefore he sort of cares about what they say."
Dionne, as Greenwald notes, is an often-platitudinous liberal, who rarely will challenge the administration. Joe Klein? If he can't even understand the difference between domestic and foreign intelligence gathering, that says it all. Seib? The more rightwing-ish side of the bipartisan foreign policy establishment incarnate.
And, contrary to a commenter, I don't doubt it at all. Teapot Tommy is exactly the type of neolib whose thinking comports with The One's. Brooks' kinder, gentler rational bobos are the type of conservatives Obama thinks exists to engage in bipartisanship with him.
Oh, PROOF that GQ is onto something with Gibbs' comments? Bobo Brooks and Teapot Tommy were two of the columnists The One invited to his pre-inaugural pseudointellectual confabs.
I doubt the story that Obama respects Brooks and Friedman is true. At least, I cannot imagine it could be true. What sort of person has any respect for their opinions?
ReplyDeleteWell, Paul, I don't doubt it at all. Teapot Tommy is exactly the type of neolib whose thinking comports with The One's. Brooks' kinder, gentler rational bobos are the type of conservatives Obama thinks exists to engage in bipartisanship with him.
ReplyDeleteOh, PROOF that GQ is onto something with Gibbs' comments? Bobo Brooks and Teapot Tommy were two of the columnists The One invited to his pre-inaugural pseudointellectual confabs.
ReplyDeleteObama invited Brooks and Friedman to a confab? That's fascinating information! Thank you!
ReplyDelete