Loser (UPDATED...Again!)

(UPDATE #2):

You all don’t have Van Jones to kick around anymore but there are still a pile of bones to pick through.

Many times in things politic, the central figure of the controversy or dust-up quickly becomes irrelevant as the surrounding events and happenings become the actual story. And nothing fits this narrative as well as the Van Jones Affair.

As the left is in full-throat fury over the injustice done to Jones, B-Daddy pointed out this headline from the L.A. Times as Jones was unceremoniously dumped late Saturday night with the following commentary.

Van Jones decries 'lies and distortions,'quits as Obama's environmental advisor

Really? Think hard about the position this puts your former boss, the President. If it is all lies, then his failure to defend you indicates a lack of moral courage of the worst sort. Are you saying that our President is a coward? And if these were not lies? Then your presence in the administration indicates total incompetence with it's vetting process. So which is it, cowardice or incompetence? I'm not holding my breath for a response.

It turns out it may just be a simple case of incompetence. For all the fanfare surrounding the tough scrutiny of people working for, in and around the White House, it turns out that Jones never bothered to/was never asked to fill-out the famous 7-page, 63 question questionnaire.

And then there is Big Media's near-complete refusal to cover the story until after Jones was shown the door (full disclosure: the San Diego U-T did run a front page story on Jones last Thursday) and the lesson is that you just can't trust the interwebs.

Tom Brokaw and Thomas Friedman, appearing on Meet the Press and certainly above the "open sewer" of the internet and all its videos and petitions that can easily be taken out of context, seemed to agree that Jone's was a victim and his dismissal will prevent people from expressing their views freely and that what was done to Jones will have a chilling effect to which Jonah Goldberg responded:

“What a tragedy that fewer people will support cop-killers and anti-American conspiracy groups because of poor Van Jones chilling effect on the culture.”

(here endeth the update)



(UPDATE #1): bye

Including the obligatory "smear" defense and the classic "if I offended anybody..." non-apology. The only thing that was missing was "I want to spend more time with my family."






And why you shouldn't care.