Ted Rall, with assist from Greenwald, is stupider than normal

Ted Rall attacks Jeff Goldberg's reporting on what Trump said about Marines being losers. There are several things that Ted arguably, or actually, gets wrong. One arguable is the question of whether this was a proper use of anonymous sourcing or not. (I also include the AP piece largely supporting Goldberg.) By the minimal standards of today's MSM, it certainly was, and almost certainly if we go beyond minimal standards.

Second, re McCain, yes, maybe he did start the war of words. But, two wrongs don't make a right, first. Second, the main thrust of Goldberg's article was the comments in France at Belleau Wood. The battle with McCain was the necessary context.

Third? Joining the armed forces for non-career soldiers isn't "transactional" in the way that Trump critics meant. Of course, this is the Ted Rall who drew an editorial cartoon like the one at left, and has opened himself all the way up to getting his ass kicked all over the place on this issue, and very rightly so.

Fourth, speaking of necessary context? Rall doesn't link to Goldberg, nor the AP piece largely confirming him. Or the Fox clip. Shock me. This is Ted Rall, of course.

Rall does cite Greenwald, who claims that the "confirmed" means no such thing. Glenn himself, though, also doesn't link directly to Goldberg, or directly to the AP, or Fox.

Speaking of Fox? Brett fucking Baier called out Trump himself for trying to practice "cancel culture" on Jennifer Griffin.

None of this has stopped Rall from being even more stupid with a double-down new cartoon, at right.

Fifth, as for Trump's relatively restrained approach to military interventionism? He's abrogated the Iran deal, although shrank from war so far. His germophobic background appears to including worries about blood. As for him and Kim Jong Un, I and others outside the duopoly find this laughable, not just the bipartisan foreign policy establishment. Rall also ignored Trump lobbing cruise missiles at Syria, selling new arms to Ukraine and other things.

Sixth, the various reportings, without identifying people by name, were not "totally dark" anonymous, either.

Seventh, on Greenwald? Attacking Goldberg for supporting the invasion of Iraq when you did too? Huge self-own.

Both Rall and Greenwald are writing opinion pieces while claiming they're news analysis.