Astute readers may notice that the blog roll on the left features about 24 left-leaning sites and just one right-leaning site. Sue me, I’m biased.
The exception has always been the blog of Daniel W. Drezner, a University of Chicago poli sci professor and libertarian-style conservative.
Despite his ideology, which I obviously disagree with, Drezner consistently offers intelligent, thought-provoking commentary on a variety of issues, so I added him to my blog roll after realizing that I end up reading his site nearly every day.
I mention this because Drezner wrote a devastating post over the weekend on the Wilson/Plame controversy that everyone should read. The headline gets the ball rolling: “What could cause me to switch parties.”
“What was done here was thuggish, malevolent, illegal, and immoral,” Drezner said of the scandal. “Whoever peddled this story to Novak and others, in outing Plame, violated the law and put the lives of Plame’s overseas contacts at risk. Compared to this, all of Clinton’s peccadilloes look like a mildly diverting scene from an Oscar Wilde production. If Rove or other high-ranking White House officials did what’s alleged, then they’ve earned the wrath of God. Or, since God is probably busy, the media firestorm that will undoubtedly erupt.
“Let me make this as plain as possible — I was an unpaid advisor for the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign, and I know and respect some high-ranking people in the administration,” Drezner added. “And none of that changes the following: if George W. Bush knew about or condoned this kind of White House activity, I wouldn’t just vote against him in 2004 — I’d want to see him impeached. Straight away.”
I really have to respect this approach and wonder why more conservatives aren’t willing to admit there’s a serious problem here. N.Z. Bear, another right-leaning blogger, said he’s reserving “any sweeping judgments” for the time being, but to his credit concluded, “[T]here’s no great moral conundrum here: if the facts of the Post story are true, then the administration sources clearly acted unethically, immorally, and illegally. And if their actions can be proven in a court of law, they should go to jail.”
Aside from these intellectually honest writers, other conservative bloggers have taken to arguing a) the scandal is too complicated, b) there must be a logical explanation for this, or c) [utter and complete silence].
This need not be a partisan fight. It’s OK to criticize your team when it’s wrong.