Memo to the Pajamahadeen

Jim Geraghty on the bloggers struggle to topple the Sauronic Eye of CBS and their media colleagues who should have been appalled at CBS’ reckless partisan reporting.

We must also repeatedly hammer away at the reputations of the Tim Russerts and Tom Brokaws and Wolf Blitzers. Apparently, their standards aren't all that different from Rather's, or else they would have objected quicker, louder, and more publicly. The other networks and major newspapers have generated so far mostly gentle rebukes. No major newspaper has called for Rather's resignation. None calls them out as fools and mendacious mercenaries for having the audacity to call Bill Burkett an "unimpeachable source." In retrospect, all that phrase told us was that CBS had not received the memos from Bill Clinton.

From his comments before and after his "apology" — a thin gruel of legalistic weasel words that stretches the definition of that word — Rather has made clear he believes that those clad in pajamas and typing on computers are in no position to judge him. Our role, in his vision, is to passively imbibe his disinformative propaganda the way geese receive cornmeal to make fois grae. He sits behind his anchor desk, confident that his status is impenetrable and that any attack made by the Pajamahadeen against his position would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical errors we may have proved. He steadfastly believes that CBS television stations remain the ultimate persuasive power in the news universe, and he intends to use it.

But Rather should not be too proud of this technological agitprop dispersal system he's constructed. The power to hype a fake memo is insignificant compared to the power of the blogosphere.

Here is a quote for you:

"The power to destroy a planet is insignificant when compared to the power of the Force."- Darth Vader

Well put.