It’s not all Fred Hiatt’s fault

Jackson Diehl and friend

In the wake of things like the idiotic firing of Dan Froomkin it’s easy to say that Fred Hiatt is solely responsible for the wretchedness of Washington Post editorial page. As easy as such criticism is, it ignores the far deeper problem. For the depth of mendacity goes both up and down the chain of command — after all the Post’s creditors will know that.

I give you Deputy Editor Jackson Diehl:

One Post staffer with whom I spoke about Diehl damned him as a “young David Broder.” “He’s relentless in pursuit of the conventional wisdom,” said the staffer. “He’s about 50 but he writes and thinks like an old man.”

He’d make a great sidekick on Matlock.

And could there be a greater indictment endorsment than this from Hiatt himself?

“I’m happy to say that I have never worked with anybody more intelligent than Jackson Diehl. He is rigorously honest, and I have never seen him reluctant to engage in an argument to defend his position or to take other people’s views on board”

So let us know them as they use one-hand to type their editorials, for today Jackson Diehl criticizes the Obama Administration for asking Israel to stop building settlements in the occupied territories — describing the negotiations over a two-state solution thusly:

…how foolish it would be to squander it over a handful of Israeli apartment houses.

Just a handful of apartment houses…and if that’s the case they serve Israel’s vital interest how?

Thanks for all the "rigorous honesty" Jackson.

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4. Thirty Years Ago Today… and Today
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