The Hack Thirty

I actually thought about getting together with the Ropers to compile a list of the worst political columnists. I did a poll on a prior blog and Ann Coulter was the winner. Salon beat me and made the Hack Thirty list.

The Top Ten

Richard Cohen

Mark Halperin

Thomas Friedman

David Broder

Marty Peretz

Marc Thiessen

Jonah Goldberg

Maureen Dowd

Laura Ingraham

Peggy Noonan

Alex Pareene gives a summery to the lowlights to all of the thirty columnists

David 'Dean' Broder Wrong Again

David Broder contends it is more important for President Barack Obama to make a quick decision on Afghanistan than be right.

It is evident from the length of this deliberative process and from the flood of leaks that have emerged from Kabul and Washington that the perfect course of action does not exist. Given that reality, the urgent necessity is to make a decision -- whether or not it is right.

This foolish man is known has the "dean" of Beltway journalism. No wonder the D.C. media screwed up the pre-Iraq war WMD story.

Bye Bye David Broder

In news that will make many progressive bloggers happy; the Washington Post has bought out David Broder's contract. For now, Broder will continue writing for The Post.

"The column you have been running will not change at all, and you will continue to receive it from The Washington Post Writers Group. I will continue to write from the same office in the Post newsroom and will continue to travel the country to wherever politics is happening. You will find me at the Democratic and Republican conventions this summer and on the campaign trail this fall, just as I have been this winter and spring."

The Post is attempting to give Broder a graceful exit. But an exit nonetheless.

No journalist is as unworthy of his praise as Broder. The so-called Dean of Journalism called the devasting aftermath of Hurricane Katrina a grand political opportunity for President Bush.

We cannot yet calculate the political fallout from Hurricane Katrina and its devastating human and economic consequences, but one thing seems certain: It makes the previous signs of political weakness for Bush, measured in record-low job approval ratings, instantly irrelevant and opens new opportunities for him to regain his standing with the public.

The stupid quotes from Broder are endless. Broder is a columnist more worthy of the third tier Tampa Tribune than The Post. Broder's political no sight would be fitting next to Steve Otto columns about chili cook offs.

Quote of the Day

More proof that David Broder is delussional.

History will record that both of them saw the threat to the West posed by terrorism and responded courageously. The wisdom of their policy and the conduct of their governments are not likely to be judged as highly.

Related: Classic David Broder

Classic David Broder

It is amazing that the Dean of Comedy can pack so much humor into his September 4, 2005 column. Satirist David Broder never fails to provide the funny. He writes how Katrina will help President Bush's political standing.

We cannot yet calculate the political fallout from Hurricane Katrina and its devastating human and economic consequences, but one thing seems certain: It makes the previous signs of political weakness for Bush, measured in record-low job approval ratings, instantly irrelevant and opens new opportunities for him to regain his standing with the public.

Broder continues to be on a roll. He blames the Congressional Democratic, who were in the minority, for the lack of oversight hearings.

The decline of oversight hearings on Capitol Hill reflects what many of the commentators called a loss of institutional pride in Congress. Majority Republicans see themselves first and foremost as members of the Bush team -- and do not want to make trouble by asking hard questions. Democrats find it more rewarding to raise campaign funds and cultivate their own constituencies.

My guts are about to burst from so much laughter. The staff at The Onion have nothing on Broder. What other comedian would have the brilliance to go on Meet the Press to suggest the Democrats were hurt after Trent Lott stepped down for his pro-segregation remarks. Younger comics like Sean Hannity should take note of the Dean.

BRODER: I think there are two losers, Tim. I think the Democrats lost ground, in part. Former Senator Al Simpson from Wyoming said to me, “They have defanged Daschle now.” Daschle can go stand up there and point his finger and talk about those rotten evil Republicans, and people are going to see Bill Frist standing across the aisle from him, who doesn’t look rotten or evil.

The other reason I think the Democrats are losers is that when they had a moral issue in front of them with President Clinton, they denounced him, but they never acted against him. Indeed, they rallied around him. And I think that contrast is one that people will remember.

Not to be outdone, fellow funnyman Tim Russert called Broder "the most objective and respected reporter I know in this town."

Hollywood will never beat the Beltway in the humor department.

Quote of the Day

"Instead of reinforcing the important proposition -- defined by the Iraq Study Group-- that a military strategy for Iraq is necessary but not sufficient to solve the myriad political problems of that country, Reid has mistakenly argued that the military effort is lost but a diplomatic-political strategy can still succeed."

David Broder

Two points.

1. If Broder actually thinks the Bush administration is following the guidelines set forth by the Iraq Study Group then he is as delusional everyone inside the Beltway believes he is.

2. Reid didn't mistakenly argue anything. There is no military option for America in Iraq. There is a civil war between the Sunnis and Shi‘ites. There is no way militarily to make these people want to live in peace with each other. For Broder to argue that the military option is still viable is foolish.

Broder also compares Reid to Alberto Gonzales. Harry Reid's approval rating in the Harris Interactive survey is up from this time last year. Senate leaders usually have low approval ratings. Reid's 22 percent is still better than Dick Cheney's approval rating. Democrats in Congress are polling at 35 percent. Congressional Republicans are at 22 percent. Reid as Senate Majority leader deserves credit for helping Democrats poll better than the GOP.

For Broder to compare Reid to Gonzales is bizarre. Reid is in in solid standing with his party. Republicans are publicly asking Gonzales to resign. No one questions Reid keeping his job. Getting in a verbal sparing match with Dick Cheney does zero damage to Reid. In fact, it helps him with the Democratic base. Cheney's base of support is nearly nonexistent.

Glenn Greenwald give a perfect example of Broder's hypocrisy. The pundit felt that Bill Clinton should have resigned for lying about the Monica Lewinsky affair.

Washington, D.C.: Mr Broder, if you feel Karl Rove is owed an apology from the pundits and writers over Valerie Plame, did you also call for an apology to the Clintons after Ken Starr, the Whitewater investigation and the failed attempt to impeach President Clinton? If not, why not?

David S. Broder: As best, I can recall,I did not call for such an apology. My view, for whatever it is worth long after the dust has settled on Monica, was that when President Clinton admitted he had lied to his Cabinet and his closest assoc, to say nothing of the public, that the honorable thing was for him to have resigned and turned over the office to Vice President Gore. I think history would have been very different had he done that.

In the same online chat, Broder is asked if Bush and Cheney should resign for lying about bogus links between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Broder's answer is truly amazing.

David S. Broder: I think if you want to disqualify as lying everyone in government who believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, you would empty not only the White House but most of Capitol Hill. I think the way to do that is through election, not mass resignation. Resignations seem appropriate to me when individual responsibility is clear and unique.

Apparently, Broder doesn't read the stories in his own paper about the White House using false intelligence and overstating the threat to sell the Iraq invasion to the public. Broder was one of the columnists cheering the war on. The great thing about being an op-ed writer is they never have to worried about getting fired. Bill Kristol got hire to Time and I be hard-pressed to think of when he was ever right about Iraq.