The Strib Has Kersten, The NYT Has Kristol

Liberals in MN have brayed since conservative columnist Katherine Kersten came on board with the StarTribune in 2005. Her blog, "Think Again" gets dozens of angry responses proving they still won't accept her.

Now libs in NY are crying foul since conservative Bill Kristol came on board there as an op-ed columnist. Angry libs sent letters, even the NYT ombudsman brayed, "He may be unwelcome, but we'll survive."

Kristol made a strong rebuke on TV when the Times published detailed information on the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program in 2006, calling for prosecuting them for aiding the enemy. Ombudsman Clark Hoyt accused Kristol of intimidation in a recent Sunday column.

Gabriel Schoenfield at Real Clear Politics exposes the moral relativism so commonly found with Hoyt and other liberal elites—accusing the U.S. of cloaking human rights under the guise of national security, and their quest to "uncover" classified information designed to protect citizens in the name of free speech.

What is truly significant about this episode is that the Times ombudsman, like a good many other reporters and editors at the paper, have come to regard themselves as above and beyond the reach of these democratically enacted laws. And having placed themselves in that exalted position, they want criticism of their superior status to be silenced as well. The obligation of the media not to aid the enemy in wartime is a subject that some liberals these days are unwilling to discuss. They do not want conservatives to discuss it either. If anything, it is Hoyt's column that smacks of intimidation.

Go read some remarks from Kersten's commenters at Think Again and you'll find intimidation mixed with visceral hatred by those who cannot see or acknowledge evil. I can imagine the NYT responses are 12-fold. Good on Bill Kristol, and the Times for bringing him on board. Sunlight remains the best disinfectant.