When Did You Stop Beating Your Wife?

Mark Gisleson at Norwegianity has uncorked another one of his masterpieces of near-comic hyperbole masquerading as analysis, this time in re Powerline's editorial in the Strib, and Jim Boyd's cowardly, content-free response.

He says:

I recently skipped over an op-ed piece that appeared in the Star Tribune because the authors, John H. Hinderaker and Scott W. Johnson (who collectively blog as Powerline), were just too off the wall to acknowledge [They always say that when they're stumped. Ed], even though their “arguments” were appearing in the Strib, the 800-lb. gorilla of Minnesota media. Well I’m glad I didn’t bother deconstructing their specious pro-swiftboatliar claims because the Strib just recanted their largesse in an editorial yesterday (which I missed and just found through Atrios)...Worth the click, and maybe even worth the possible pain in the ass registration process (usually doesn’t kick in until you click on your second Strib link). The Strib editorial crew thoroughly demolishes four main points of swiftboatliar contention. But, more than anything, I would have loved to have heard the phone calls to the Strib higher ups that preceded the decision to “fisk” one of their own op-ed contributors. No need to be shy about real world politics: undoubtedly some DFL heavy hitters (aka advertisers) made some calls.

Oh, but the Powerline boys were ready for this. From a recent post:

The gaping holes in this...er, "reasoning", are self-evident: The Strib's "demolition" demolished nothing.

So Mark "Revolutionary Gonad" Gisleson, a man given to making inflammatory and self-adulatory claims, is venting. No big shock.

But this, however, was a bit of a surprise:

It’s been eight days since Northern Alliance member Mitch Berg accepted my invitation to an online debate. The ball is still in his court. He can pick any topic and fire off his opening salvo whenever he likes just by emailing me at bushdidcoke[at]gisleson.com.

Wow. I must be a real coward, huh?

Except that the conversation too place in its entirety a week ago in the comment thread at Chuck Olsen's Blogumentary site.

Now, I've met Chuck, and he's a fine-enough guy. But I have to confess that Chuck's comment section isn't the best way to get a hold of me - I read Blogumentary only when explicitly provoked to do so, which only usually happens when he's filming friends of mine or showing up at parties we throw. No knock on Chuck, just saying.

So sure; I'll write Mr. Gisleson at "bushdidcoke". And Mr. Gisleson can write me at "kerryisavapidemptysuit" [at the domain] shotinthdark dotto info.

Topic: The Swift Vets are telling the truth, and the Kerry Kampaign is going to have to face the truth that they're working for Cliff Clavin.

Posted by Mitch at August 25, 2004 05:12 AM | TrackBack