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The dhimmitude of American conservatives … to the anti-American left
Complementing conservatives’ selling of what’s left of their political soul for the sake of non-conservative careerist John Roberts, is their warm response to the death of über-liberal anchorman Peter Jennings. This was a man who said on the night of the Republican sweep in 1994 that the American people had had a “tantrum” (a remark that should have cost him his job), who sided with Palestinian terrorists against Israel, and whose entire persona, his every on-air gesture and facial expression, conveyed simultaneously his love of himself for his own liberalism, and his disdain for this country. It was this combination of self-esteem and artful contempt—for them!—that insensible Americans thought of as charm and sophistication. Thus the clueless “conservatives” at Lucianne.com yesterday spoke of Jennings as though the very worst thing one could say about him was that he had a “different view,” but that he was thoughtful, a gentleman, blah, blah, blah, while they kept repeating as a chorus, “Rest in Peace”—for a man who was not, as far as anyone can tell, a Christian, but rather a high priest of the secular left. It would be like pronouncing a Christian blessing at the funeral of a Mohammedan.
But the prize for dhimmitude goes to David Frum. In his column at NRO today he falls all over himself expressing admiration and affection for Jennings for his kindness, tact, and other excellent qualities in his private dealings. Maybe I’m just not a nice person, but if a vicious anti-American leftist like Jennings had tried to win me over with some private act of thoughtfulness, I wouldn’t have bought it. Frum, of course, bought it. Email entry |