Collins's Odd Obsession

Photo of Mark Finkelstein.
By Mark Finkelstein (Bio | Archive)
November 10, 2007 - 14:07 ET
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Just two days ago, Gail Collins christened her column about the Pat Robertson endorsement "Pat Loves Rudy."

As I observed then, "a conservative columnist writing the equivalent might well be condemned for making an unsubtle appeal to homophobia. But Collins will surely get a pass in PC quarters, since it's a well-established fact that liberals are incapable of prejudice."

Then comes today's column -- and I'll be darned if Collins hasn't done it again.

The NY Times columnist has entitled her piece about the Kerik indictment and related matters "Rudy and Bernie: B.F.F.’s" ["Best Friends Forever," for those no longer in middle school].

Once might be an aberration. Twice -- in consecutive columns no less -- qualifies as an odd obsession

But if Collins's fixation on Rudy's male friendships is peculiar, something in today's column was downright terrifying. Making her case that Rudy places too much emphasis on political loyalty, Collins writes [emphasis added]:

How about if this time we try for a president who would recruit gifted people who can accomplish great things, as opposed to a room full of dopes who will never write tell-all memoirs?

I invite you to picture President Hillary Clinton's cabinet room, brimming with "gifted people" eager to "accomplish great things." Argh!


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Oh, so that's why

November 10, 2007 - 14:31 ET by Chris Norman

Oh, so that's why government hasn't accomplished anything, thus far. The people running it just weren't gifted enough. Gifted in dedication and intellect, and gifted a few trillions of dollars more in tax resources and - look out! These self proclaimed intellectual people have a simpleton-like faith in the wisdom and power of big government...

This exemplifies the

November 10, 2007 - 14:48 ET by mattm

This exemplifies the superior attitude of Liberals...  If you don't support their ideas, you're a dope...

"Accomplish great things..."  Like emasculating the military?  Weakening national security?  Giving missle technology to China?  Over-inflating the stock-market?  Increasing taxes?  Instituting failed socialist programs?  Turning the White House into a brothel?  Pardoning felons?  Insider trading? Covering up suspicious deaths?  Stealing classified documents?  etc. etc.

That's what the last bunch of "gifted" Libs gave us...

If you ask a liberal why

November 10, 2007 - 14:57 ET by Chris Norman

If you ask a liberal why government hasn't solved any of the problems they have tackled, they'll answer that we need smarter people running it and more money poured into it. They just can't see that the whole Rube Goldberg machine they've built just doesn't and could never work. They still think that if only they could permanently be the ones who push the buttons and pull the levers, it will work. They're like bratty children demanding goodies from hapless parents.

This exemplifies the

November 10, 2007 - 15:33 ET by motherbelt

This exemplifies the superior attitude of Liberals... If you don't support their ideas, you're a dope.. -mattm

You are so right. We were discussing that in another thread. Comic newsman John Stewart said:

Some people believe we’re going after conservatives on our show just because they’re conservatives. That’s idiotic. We go after what we think is absurd.

There you go...liberal superiority in all its glory.

 

 

Hey!

November 10, 2007 - 21:07 ET by heldmyw

Was that a poke at our Congress?

Names like Reid, Pelosi, Durbin, Kucinich, Stabenow, Levin, Conyer, Murtha, Jefferson, Feinstein, Boxer... Are you insinuating that they might not be the brightest bulbs on the string, and that's why they need an altimeter, GPS and an arrow sign in order to screw "up"?

Shameful. They're just "differently abled".

i await Gail's story

November 10, 2007 - 15:23 ET by

"Hillary and Sandy sitting in a tree"

 “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”   -Chief Justice John Roberts

botg... The hypocrisy of

November 10, 2007 - 15:36 ET by bigtimer

botg...

The hypocrisy of all of this is rich isn't it?

BT absolutely

November 10, 2007 - 15:39 ET by

and her next columns should be

'Hill and Hsu's Love Child'

'Johnny's Hedging His Run'

 “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”   -Chief Justice John Roberts

Well, I can tell you who

November 10, 2007 - 15:34 ET by fitzfong

Well, I can tell you who clearly is not Gail Collins' B.F.F.

The dentist.

She must go to Great

November 10, 2007 - 15:37 ET by Chris Norman

She must go to Great Britain for her socialized dentistry until it comes here. :)

Oh no you Di'int!

November 10, 2007 - 15:45 ET by aerovelo

That is hilarious, because as I was reading the piece I thought, how did he manage to not mention her gnarly teeth?

Thankfully you stepped up! 

Ask yourself: Do I want a good paying job, or do I want a government hand out. Its that simple!

Oh, yeah.  I went there.

November 10, 2007 - 15:55 ET by fitzfong

Oh, yeah.  I went there.

Wow, Pat loves Rudy. Is Pat

November 10, 2007 - 16:20 ET by motherbelt

Wow, Pat loves Rudy. Is Pat going to be OK with the fact that Rudy and Bernie are BFF? Or is this heading for big trouble? Stay tuned for Collins's next column to find out!

And get with it, Gail, it's BFF, not BFF's. It's Best Friends Forever...not one best friend forever, two best friend forevers.  A newspaper editor should know these things.....

Butter Teeth?

November 10, 2007 - 18:52 ET by MBConserv

Did this chick brush her teeth with a stick of government-issued butter?

No matter how much lipstick Washington tries to slap onto this legislative pig, it’s not going to win any beauty contests." Fred Thompson

Liberals never grow

November 10, 2007 - 18:33 ET by kg

Liberals never grow up.

History will treat Coulter as the philosopher of our time. She has proven herself right time and time again.

I can't get far with this

November 11, 2007 - 04:31 ET by Andrew H.

I can't get far with this "journalist."  She's an awful writer and typical of what the Times has in their employ.  Unbelievable if one was to write about them in a story--but oh so true. 

Collins is a joke with no insight, no information, a queer and ineffective way of pushing for government control and socialism.  Waste of time, absolutely--merely another chirping bird out of the mediocre.  

 

Liberalism is a convenient lie.

 Jeez Mark great write up,

November 11, 2007 - 09:26 ET by Blazer

 Jeez Mark great write up, and all, but must you guy's post Gail's pic every time? Her photograph, and my breakfast dont' get along so well.

She looks like something Da Vinci passed up on at a Mona Lisa audition.

 "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "

                   - Ben Kenobi on  Liberals, and the MSM.