February 22, 2005
Maurice Hinchey: You Can Run...
If Maurice Hinchey didn't so obviously mean to slander Karl Rove and George Bush, I might be able to generate a bit of sympathy for him. Sadly, audio of the event and the accompanying transcript leave little room for confusion; Hinchey was radically pandering to a partisan crowd, espousing wild, unsubstantiated conspiracy theories that Karl Rove was responsible for setting up Dan Rather with faked documents of Bush's Texas Air National Guard service.Congressman Hinchey happens to be my representative, and I sent him an email roughly 24 hours ago asking him to explain his statements. So far, I have received no response.
Congressman Hinchey is now in the middle of what has been dubbed a "blog swarm." At the time I'm writing this, at least 131 blogs have written about Congressman Hinchey's outburst, up from a mere handful the night before. In addition, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News have already interviewed Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs who brought the audio and transcript to the Web, and hopefully the efforts of a concerned constituent that were picked up by many other bloggers have helped generate enough email to the print media in New York's 22nd District (Hinchey's district) to get the story treated locally.
You cannot hide, Rep. Hinchey, and this will not blow over. I think you desperately need to get and read this book today, and act upon it. We don't want your job, nor your head on a silver platter, but we do deserve an explanation, and an apology.
I don't think that is too much to ask.
Late Update: The Binghamton Press & Sun Journal appears to be the first 22nd District newspaper to break the press blackout.
"I have no proof," Hinchey said Monday night. "But if the documents originated at the White House, then it would fit the pattern of the White House manipulating the media. And if it did originate in the White House, then it must have come from the most brilliant, most Machiavellian of all of them, Karl Rove."
Some people aren't blessed with the common sense to know when to shut up.
