The Kos-Dean Non-Story

Anyone who either talks or listens to me long enough on politics will quickly appreciate my admiration for Markos Moulitsas and his magnificent dailykos weblog. While I agree with Cooper that sometimes the comments section can range off into the stratosphere of extemity (at least he permits them...) he still ranks for me as one of the original giants of the new media revolution. If given the choice, I would rather meet him than Gore, Kerry, or Bush II. His site is always the opening page of my daily browsing, and as readers of Andrew Sullivan can attest, he has a unique style of posting that cannot be simply replaced.

How sad then, to see an otherwise admirable deaniac - Zephyr Teachout - initiating a completely shit-for-brains story about his alleged "corruption" regarding payments from the Dean campaign dating back to June 2003. I won't link to any of this - instapundit and hugh hewitt and atrios and the rest are awash in discussing the "controversy". It is early in this new blog's career, so let me refrain from harsh language. But anyone - ANYONE - that has spent time reading Markos' ongoing commentary on the US political situation can only be flabbergasted at these accusations of "bias" in favour of Dean way back when. Chalk it up to another knee-jerk reaction from the mainstream media against bloggers in general - and, sadly, those on the right who wish to sully a fellow titan of the blogosphere.

I don't know where to begin, so fortunately Kos et al. have done an admirable job in rebutting the charges. I won't even link to it, just get over to his site and read it for yourself. It almost feels like some right-wing "Blog Readers for Truth" conspiracy - since you cannot get into the story without first remembering its origin, some conservative pundit paid with taxpayer dollars to flout Bush initiatives without letting on to the fact! Right out of the Rove school, I guess - attack them at their strongest point.

So, in a word, it's all just patently ABSURD. Remember that kos was allegedly "bought" in June... Well read this post from March '03 - a live take on the watershed moment for Dean's campaign. Accuse Markos of being overly optimistic and passionate, fine. But never on the take. Damn those people who just don't get it should be ashamed. And Novak continues to look old and ridiculous.