Hypocritically Ignoring the Whole Story

There's been a bit of a controversy circling through the blogasphere based on comments made recently by Powerline blogger "Hindrocket" about Jimmy Carter. Hindrocket wrote about Carter that "Jimmy Carter isn't misguided or ill-informed. He's on the other side." Some bloggers on the left have rightfully objected to Hindrocket's treason accusation against Carter. (This type of accustation is occurring with increasing frequency on the radical right, with the recent comparison of Howard Dean and Lynne Stewart by the NY State Republican Chair that even Governor Pataki denounced.)

Rather than just to give a mea culpa, Hindrocket has decided today to try to defend himself further by citing more examples of what he claims are treasonous acts by Carter. (I'm not sure how he can claim that sitting with Michael Moore during the Democratic convention qualifies as treason, or even something wrong. I'd just remind Hindrocket about Bush's visit to Bob Jones University in 2000, but he probably doesn't think Bush did anything wrong there.)

However, my biggest criticism of Hindrocket's argument (as unfortunately is usually the case) is that he is wilfully blind to similar acts to those he accuses Carter of by people on the right. Hindrocket accuses Carter of making overtures to the Soviet Union 1984, during the year of Reagan's reelection:

Conspiring with our chief enemy to try to influence an American Presidential
election: We could have called that treason, but we didn't. You can form your
own opinion.

Hmm. I don't know anything about the book Hindrocket quotes or the accuracy of the allegations. But let's look back at history -- it seems that the only people who have actually been involved in conspiring with our enemy to influence presidential elections are Republicans.

First, and most recently, there is the allegation that the Reagan campaign was involved in making a deal with the Iranians to avoid an "October Surprise" in the Fall of 1980. Boy, I would think making a deal with our enemy in order to win your own presidential election would be even more damning that what Carter is accused of.

But even more damning is what the Nixon campaign did in 1968. LBJ was bugging the Vietnamese embassy and uncovered evidence that the Nixon campaign, fearful that Johnson would make a peace deal that would end the war and help Humphrey, sent Nixon's campaign manager, John Mitchell to lobby the South Vietnamese to not go to peace talks in Paris, with the promise that Nixon would cut them a better deal.

It has since been uncovered how Johnson learned of this information and gave it to Humphrey. Humphrey did not use it, mainly because he was so stunned that Nixon could have been engaged in such treasonous acts. (Johnson was amazed that Humphrey did not use it against Nixon, as Johnson would have in a heart-beat.) The events of Nixon's presidency, however, show that Humphrey should not have been surprised.

So I'll wait for Hindrocket to amend his treason allegations to include Reagan and Nixon, but I won't hold my breath. (He's much too busy getting all worked up about Eason Jordan, while ignoring Jeff Gannon). Instead, I'll just say that those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
- posted by Joshua @ 4:57 PM