Don’t read blogs or the news for several days, get in a better frame of mind, and then find out that Sullivan’s stunt doubles now include a Freedomworks writer and resident Reason libertarian. I’m really a fan of this:
It’s been a difficult four-week absence from the Dish, but it’s great to be back here and guest blogging — thanks to Patrick and Andrew for the second chance. It’s also great to be here with Peter Suderman, whose hospitality and BBQ skills I have taken advantage of at least twice.
But how was the tire-swing?
Just kill me now.
*** Update ***
Maybe I should read my own damned blog. I see DougJ already noted this.
Notorious P.A.T.
Have they eaten quail together?
Short Bus Bully
Agreed. Sully needs to find some better peeps to run the show while he’s away. Can’t read these guys.
Kind of a double edged sword when your viewers come to read you and only you, eh?
Until he gets back I guess I’ll just have to play some more Tetris or some shit.
4tehlulz
Andrew basically came back from his vacation and rediscovered the insufferable twit that killed
The New Republichealth care reform in the ’90s.4tehlulz
Disregard that. It wasn’t Andrew.
But my point still stands about how Andrew’s inner git has been reborn.
matoko_chan
Like I been sayin’ the conservative bench is very thin right now.
The smart conservatives have largely left the building.
So the stunt-double standards have been radically lowered.
This is the “special” team.
Be grateful Ross has the NYT gig or he would be there too.
cbear
Yeah, this is disappointing. It’s always disturbing to discover that an asshole hangs out with other assholes. Who could have guessed?
Jody
I came here to say what Cbear said.
Leaving satisfied.
DougJ
In fairness, Suderman just wrote a pretty good blog post about legalizing drugs. Galt’s ganja, I guess.
Crashman06
I mentioned in an earlier thread that this was my breaking point with Sullivan. His blog is now dead to me.
Anne Laurie
There’s an argument that Sullivan chose cack-handed, dishonest syncophants to sub for him so that his readers would better notice the contrast when he returned. Perhaps he should have considered the possibility those readers would lose (more) respect for Sullivan’s judgement since he’s shown himself willing to be associated with lying toadies who couldn’t write an “out-of-order” notice without two spelling errors and a false premise.
(Countdown to zinger about Mr. Cole’s judgement… three… two… )
Turgidson
@DougJ:
Legalizing drugs is one of the very few issues glibertarians actually tend to get right. Though their reasons just tend to be “FREEDOM!!! GOVT SUCKS!!!!” rather than the nuanced cost/benefit analysis (which of course includes some discussion of freedom, etc.) that normal people would bring up.
freelancer
Also, to continue my fixation with District 9, Verbatim Spencer Ackerman.
attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/08/17/what-secrets-lurk-within-district-9-white-anxiety/
Barbeque’s and Fable II? Between the FreedomWorks Jackassery and the seemingly incessant man-child atmosphere amongst DC bloggers, that McArdle hitched her wagon to a bright shining star. They deserve each other.
Bill Rutherford, Princeton Admissions
“There’s an argument that Sullivan chose cack-handed, dishonest syncophants to sub for him so that his readers would better notice the contrast when he returned.”
Christ, I hope that was his excuse for letting Ross Douthat sub for him a few years ago.
Warren Terra
I was glad that Sullivan was so enthusiastically backing Obama during the campaign, but I never thought he had any judgement at all, and I’ve seen no reason to change that. This was the case even during the campaign, when his reasons for backing Obama often made no sense, and his reasons for his other favorites (Ron Paul and John McCain) were completely incoherent.
Oh, and I’m still waiting for him to show any noticeable remorse for:
(1) Publishing The Bell Curve, and defending it
(2) Publishing Betsy McCaughey’s No Exit
(3) His really egregious “fifth column” statements after 9/11.
He is, when he shows up and works at it, a very talented blogger and a very entertaining writer. But his taste in friends and allies has far more often than not been execrable – even when on a previous occasion he had the awesome Hilzoy as a guest-blogger, he paired her up with Jamie Kirchik, who even Sullivan intermittently seems to realize is an inexcusable P.O.S.
I can’t swear that I’ll never go back to Sullivan’s blog, but in partial fulfillment of Anne Laurie’s take on the situation I’m certain not to visit during Suderman’s stint.
Trinity
I’ve just stopped reading Sully altogether. That foray into birtherism just did it for me. If it weren’t for TNC, I wouldn’t read anything at The Atlantic site.
JK
@Anne Laurie:
Anne,
I let John know that it’s great to have him back. but that you Doug, and Tim did a wonderful job in his absence.
Warren Terra
I just can’t get into T-N C’s blog. It was sometimes great in the late campaign, and occasionally he does a really good post on, say, Prof. Gates’s arrest, but he doesn’t post often and I don’t find many of his posts interesting.
Fallows remains great, even if he doesn’t blog much. But Sullivan hasn’t been much use since he became disillusioned after realizing that Obama was going to have to govern rather than just opine, and I can’t think of a decent thing he’s written in months that wasn’t about torture.
I’ve been an Atlantic subscriber for yonks, and I’m not moved to cancel, but I doubt I’ll renew when the time comes.
whetstone
Oh, and I’m still waiting for him to show any noticeable remorse for:
He won’t. His self-regard knows no bounds.
Which has a lot to do with why he’s found his metier as a blogger, as opposed to a long-form writer (his piece on Obama and race was unreadable) or editor. He’s hard-working, is an unfailing ass-kisser, and has zero discernment.
As an editor of a major magazine he was too tone-deaf and repellently contrarian to not shoot himself in the foot with some jaw-dropping failure like The Bell Curve issue, but if you’re just playing with a bb gun it doesn’t matter if you nick yourself occasionally.
I mean, it’s cute that he hates torture, but I more or less consider that the “you must be this tall to enter” sign for political punditry.
whetstone
Also, keep in mind that Sully hearted him some Jonah Goldberg for the longest time – and Suderman is at least smarter than Doughy. Sullivan will befriend anyone who he can gain from.