Actually A Good Point

Jim Hoagland, in the Washington Post makes what is actually a good point about the Bush administrations recent stand on terrorism. They are not paying enough attention to our allies in this struggle.

But if the sense of vulnerability has spread abroad in the past five years, the international response to the threat of terrorist assaults has remained far from being unified or even particularly coherent. The greatest task for the next five years in the post-Sept. 11 era is to create and manage a truly integrated international campaign to displace and contain jihadist terrorism as a political weapon.

The Bush administration can help start that effort by adjusting the rhetoric, goals and style of its war on global terrorism. That is particularly true when its statements will reach non-American audiences. They are increasingly aware that they, too, are in the sights of religiously and racially inspired fanatics but are hard put to see how Washington's approach will help protect them as well as the U.S. homeland, which has been spared since 2001.

The White House should acknowledge that the gains in global vigilance and intrusive police work thus far have largely been a case of collateral help: These gains have everything to do with self-interest and only secondarily with U.S. leadership. Other nations have adopted cumbersome and spotty security measures at airports, government buildings and other sensitive spots — the long-term legacy of Sept. 11 — to protect themselves first and foremost.

Self-interest in this area should not be disdained, or obscured by U.S. boasts that the war on terrorism and a coalition assembled by Washington are alone responsible for keeping terrorist networks off balance and on the run. Americans need to be told by the president and his senior aides more, and more often, about the role that European, Asian, Arab and other forces and investigators are playing in this effort.

The White House paid passing tribute to the international dimension of this broad conflict in the new National Strategy for Combating Terrorism released on Tuesday as part of a pre-anniversary campaign to argue that it has made the world and the country safer. Terrorists have struck "from Bali to Beslan to Baghdad," the document notes.

I understand that this is an election year and that this is a major internal debate. But the administration should also try to point out all the help the allies are giving us. They need to feel they are part of this, too.

Progress?

From Think Progress:

Over 50,000 ThinkProgress readers have written ABC in the last 48 hours about “The Path to 9/11.” We’re going to keep the pressure on ABC, but we’re also broadening our focus today to the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC.

Disney’s Chairman of the Board is former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-ME). Senator Mitchell has a long and distinguished career both inside and outside government and he knows how important it is to accurately represent historical events.

We need to remind him that 9/11 was a national tragedy, and that politicizing and flagrantly misrepresenting the facts about 9/11 is wrong.

Progress?

Or suppression? I repeat. Who is actually calling for suppression? Who is calling for government censorship with the full might of the Federal government behind it?

Armitage Admits He Was Source Of Leak

Richard Armitage publicly admitted he was the source for the leak of Valeria Plame's name. He did so by accident and thought Plame's status was not a secret because he had learned it from a State Department memo.

Say goodnight, Gracie.

Confirming that he was the source of a leak that triggered a federal investigation, former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said he never intended to reveal Plame's identity. He apologized for his conversations with syndicated columnist Robert Novak and Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward.

For almost three years, an investigation led by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has tried to determine whether Bush administration officials intentionally revealed Plame's identity as covert operative as a way to punish her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, for criticizing the Bush administration's march to war with Iraq.

"I made a terrible mistake, not maliciously, but I made a terrible mistake," Armitage said in a telephone interview from his home Thursday night.

He said he did not realize Plame's job was covert.

This trumped up mess that the execrable Joe Wilson has happily been pimping for three years is over. Plame and Wilson both look like complete fools, as do their fawning sycophants in both the press and the ranks of the hard left. Fitzgerald should be made to pay back the money he has thrown down this toilet and should drop the charges against Libby.

(I wonder if Jason Leopold is still camped out waiting for the Rove indictment. One rather hopes so.)

UPDATE: Never fear, true believers! Some in the press will continue to spin for all they are worth on this dead horse! They are even now gathering in the graveyard imploring Baron Samedi to bring this back to life as the zombie scandal that would not die!

The administration's defenders have claimed that Armitage's acknowledgement of his role, which has been speculated about for months, takes much of the sting out of those allegations.

But interviews and documents also portray the White House – in the persons of Bush aide Karl Rove, Cheney chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and others – as furiously trying to get information about Wilson and Plame, then discussing it with reporters.

Fitzgerald, whose probe hasn't concluded, indicted Libby last October on charges of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements. Libby is contesting the charges, and Armitage said he would testify at the trial if called.

Good luck. Mind the mercury.

Enormous Miscalculation

I am absolutely stunned at this. I think this may be the biggest miscalculation I have seen this election season. I mean this one is positively biblical.

The Senate Democrats just threatened to go after ABC's broadcasting license if it airs The Path to 9/11. Not fix it, not alter it. Kill it or they will come for you.

September 7, 2006

Mr. Robert A. Iger
President and CEO
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank CA 91521

Dear Mr. Iger,

We write with serious concerns about the planned upcoming broadcast of The Path to 9/11 mini-series on September 10 and 11. Countless reports from experts on 9/11 who have viewed the program indicate numerous and serious inaccuracies that will undoubtedly serve to misinform the American people about the tragic events surrounding the terrible attacks of that day. Furthermore, the manner in which this program has been developed, funded, and advertised suggests a partisan bent unbecoming of a major company like Disney and a major and well respected news organization like ABC. We therefore urge you to cancel this broadcast to cease Disney’s plans to use it as a teaching tool in schools across America through Scholastic. Presenting such deeply flawed and factually inaccurate misinformation to the American public and to children would be a gross miscarriage of your corporate and civic responsibility to the law, to your shareholders, and to the nation.

The Communications Act of 1934 provides your network with a free broadcast license predicated on the fundamental understanding of your principle obligation to act as a trustee of the public airwaves in serving the public interest. Nowhere is this public interest obligation more apparent than in the duty of broadcasters to serve the civic needs of a democracy by promoting an open and accurate discussion of political ideas and events.

Disney and ABC claim this program to be based on the 9/11 Commission Report and are using that assertion as part of the promotional campaign for it. The 9/11 Commission is the most respected American authority on the 9/11 attacks, and association with it carries a special responsibility. Indeed, the very events themselves on 9/11, so tragic as they were, demand extreme care by any who attempt to use those events as part of an entertainment or educational program. To quote Steve McPhereson, president of ABC Entertainment, “When you take on the responsibility of telling the story behind such an important event, it is absolutely critical that you get it right.”

Unfortunately, it appears Disney and ABC got it totally wrong.

Despite claims by your network’s representatives that The Path to 9/11 is based on the report of the 9/11 Commission, 9/11 Commissioners themselves, as well as other experts on the issues, disagree.

Richard Ben-Veniste, speaking for himself and fellow 9/11 Commissioners who recently viewed the program, said, “As we were watching, we were trying to think how they could have misinterpreted the 9/11 Commission’s findings the way that they had.” [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,” New York Times, September 6, 2006]

Richard Clarke, the former counter-terrorism czar, and a national security advisor to ABC has described the program as “deeply flawed” and said of the program’s depiction of a Clinton official hanging up on an intelligence agent, “It’s 180 degrees from what happened.” [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,” New York Times, September 6, 2006]

Reports suggest that an FBI agent who worked on 9/11 and served as a consultant to ABC on this program quit halfway through because, “he thought they were making things up.” [MSNBC, September 7, 2006]

Even Thomas Kean, who serves as a paid consultant to the miniseries, has admitted that scenes in the film are fictionalized. [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,” New York Times, September 6, 2006]

That Disney would seek to broadcast an admittedly and proven false recounting of the events of 9/11 raises serious questions about the motivations of its creators and those who approved the deeply flawed program. Finally, that Disney plans to air commercial-free a program that reportedly cost it $40 million to produce serves to add fuel to these concerns.

These concerns are made all the more pressing by the political leaning of and the public statements made by the writer/producer of this miniseries, Mr. Cyrus Nowrasteh, in promoting this miniseries across conservative blogs and talk shows.

Frankly, that ABC and Disney would consider airing a program that could be construed as right-wing political propaganda on such a grave and important event involving the security of our nation is a discredit both to the Disney brand and to the legacy of honesty built at ABC by honorable individuals from David Brinkley to Peter Jennings. Furthermore, that Disney would seek to use Scholastic to promote this misguided programming to American children as a substitute for factual information is a disgrace.

As 9/11 Commission member Jamie Gorelick said, “It is critically important to the safety of our nation that our citizens, and particularly our school children, understand what actually happened and why – so that we can proceed from a common understanding of what went wrong and act with unity to make our country safer.”

Should Disney allow this programming to proceed as planned, the factual record, millions of viewers, countless schoolchildren, and the reputation of Disney as a corporation worthy of the trust of the American people and the United States Congress will be deeply damaged. We urge you, after full consideration of the facts, to uphold your responsibilities as a respected member of American society and as a beneficiary of the free use of the public airwaves to cancel this factually inaccurate and deeply misguided program. We look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Sincerely,

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid
Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Senator Charles Schumer
Senator Byron Dorgan

Is Alfred E. Newman their chief political consultant? Do they have any idea what they look like to the average American? They look not like defenders of the truth, they look exactly, precisely, like they are trying to hide something. This is an absolutely stunningly stupid move. This may play well to the true, hard-left believers, but to average Americans you just hurt yourselves very, very badly. (Anecdotal: I told my wife about this. She is not at all political. The first words she said were, "What are they trying to hide".)

Talk about blowing it.

Shuttle Launch Attempt Friday

NASA is readying the shuttle Atlantis for another attempt on Friday morning. They are also negotiating with the Russians for a one day extension if needed (the launch window closes on Friday). They are not replacing a fuel cell that caused the earlier cancellation.

Friday is the last launch day available before the U.S. space agency runs into a scheduling conflict with the Russian space agency, although NASA was negotiating with the Russians about possibly trying on Saturday, if needed.

There was a 30 percent chance bad weather would interfere at the 11:40 a.m. EDT Friday launch time.

On Thursday, NASA decided not to change out an electricity-generating fuel cell whose coolant pump had given erratic readings, causing a scrub a day earlier. Replacing the fuel cell could have delayed any launch attempt by several weeks.

"Our risk really is going to be minimal," said Steve Poulos, shuttle orbiter projects manager. "It was going to be a really sporty event to go in there."

After this weekend, the next daylight launch opportunity is not until the end of October. NASA rules say Atlantis must lift off in daylight so that its big external fuel tank can be photographed for any signs of broken-off foam of the sort that destroyed Columbia 3 1/2 years ago.

If Atlantis does not get off the ground on Friday, NASA officials had two options they were reluctant to exercise that would permit a launch attempt before the end of October: Try on Saturday, or relax the daylight-launch rule.

I understand why they have banned the night launches, but I can tell you from personal experience they are spectacular. My family was in Orlando one year and watched a night launch from there. That is how far away you can see and hear one of these puppies taking off.

Slow Goats Working

The public works department for the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee is a bit miffed. It seems someone put up some unauthorized signs. In an effort to control kudzu, the city had put some goats in an area infested with the noxious weed. The signs warned drivers that there were "goats working" and that violators were subject to a $250 "goat fine".

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – City workers planned to remove signs in a neighborhood warning drivers to slow down for kudzu-eating goats in the area, after the public works department said they were posted illegally.

The goats were released recently in part of the Missionary Ridge area to help control rampant kudzu growth.

But orange signs reading "goats working" and warning of a $250 "goats fine" were not posted by the city, said Lee Norris, deputy administrator of public works.

"It's coming down," Norris said. "It's just somebody's idea of a joke."

The signs were good enough to fool some residents, said Bob Graham, vice president of the Missionary Ridge Neighborhood Association.

"Some people took it seriously and thought it was something Public Works had put up there," he said. "Someone went to a lot of trouble for it."

Yeah, we can understand the public works people wanting to take them down. I mean, why draw attention to the fact that the goats work harder than they do?

Ask Yourself An Honest Question

It appears that the ABC network will bow to pressure from former Clinton administration officials and edit the scene that gave them fits. I posted an earlier observation on the difference to the reaction to Fahrenheit 911 by the right and the almost hysterical attacks by the left on The Path to 9/11. My comment section on that post illustrated the thinking perfectly. On that first post I wrote:

One group decries the accuracy, the other decries the existence. Who is in favor of silencing the opposition again? Who is in favor of curtailing the free speech of others?

In comments I was informed by one of the people attacking ABC that this was not the case. The left wanted it corrected or pulled off the air. Which is all nuanced and all, but I suspect that saying 'it is alright for the film to air provided it says what we want it to, otherwise it must not be shown' is a distinction without a difference. In fact it is actually worse.

Sigmund, Carl and Alfred also point of the utter falseness of the basic arguments coming from the left.

Here’s the deal. ABC’s production of the ‘Path To 9/11′ is a docudrama. It is entertainment, based on a true story. Michael Moore presented his deliberate deceit as ‘fact’ and indeed, even claimed himself to be a journalist in an interview on Canadian television.

Are there any Americans that are stupid enough to believe that Michael Moore would have ‘corrected’ the lies he told in his ‘journalistic effort,’ if asked?

So, ask yourself an honest question. If the White House had demanded changes who would be howling right now? If ABC had caved in and made the changes who would would be in absolute hysterics right now?

I think we know the answer.

Al Jazeera Shows Bin Laden Meeting 9/11 Hijackers

Whoops, there goes at least one conspiracy theory. Al Jazeera has broadcast a previously unreleased videotape of Osama bin Laden meeting with some of the 9/11 hijackers. (Yes, I know that won't make a bit of difference to some of the most deranged denialists, but it will at least help some people not to get sucked into that fever swamp.)

Counterfeit Bikini Contestant!

Pakistan is opening an official inquiry into how a Pakistani-born woman living in the United States entered a bikini contest in China as "Miss Pakistan". The contestant was counterfeit, not the bikini. Confused yet?

Houston-based Mariyah Moten, 22, took part in the pageant in the Chinese resort of Beihai on August 28. She won a "Best in Media" title, for being the most photographed and interviewed contestant, according to media reports.

A government official said Moten did not have permission to represent Pakistan, where many women only go out in public covered in a veil. The country does not hold beauty contests.

"We have asked our missions in Washington and Beijing to investigate this because it is against our policy, culture and religion," senior Culture Ministry official Abdul Hafeez Chaudhry told Reuters Thursday, referring to Moten's participation.

"She is an American passport holder. She is an American national of Pakistani origin, so how did she get entry as a Pakistani?" he asked.

We can't blame the authorities wanting to take a look at Ms. Moten, either. (Gratuitous linkage is work safe.)

It’s Okay To Question Their Patriotism

Yup, in this case it is cut and dried. There is no doubt to any reasonable person. When they are stealing American flags from the graves of veterans, tearing them up and using them to make upholstery out of, you can question their patriotism.

Bloody squirrels.

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – Groundskeepers at Forest Hill Cemetery thought it was kids who were stealing dozens of American flags. That is, until one found a giant squirrel's nest.

"I was mowing, looked up out into the distance, and something caught my eye," said Dave Ender, a groundskeeper employed by the Eau Claire Parks and Recreation Department.

He drove his riding lawnmower to a nearby street intersection and looked up a tree.

"Low and behold, I found the missing flags," Ender said.

They were ripped and serving as the foundation of a giant squirrel nest.

On the other hand maybe we're jumping to conclusions over here in the Crabitat. After all, nobody ever saw one of the squirrels with a flag. It is possible they were framed. Has anyone been keeping an eye on the chipmunks?

NATO Commander Calls For Additional Troops

The top NATO commander in Afghanistan is calling on member nations to commit additional troops to help fight an unexpectedly fierce Taliban offensive. General James Jones says this is not meant to signal that the mission is in jeopardy, only that he would like additional insurance so the majority of Taliban can be defeated before they retreat into the mountains for the winter.

Jones will meet top generals from the 26 NATO nations Friday and Saturday in Warsaw, Poland, in an attempt to generate hundreds of troops, with planes and helicopters needed for the mission.

"We have to give the commander additional insurance in terms of some forces that can be there, perhaps temporarily, to make sure that we can carry the moment," he said.

Jones acknowledged that NATO had been surprised by the "level of intensity" of Taliban attacks since the alliance moved into the southern region in July and by the fact the insurgents were prepared to stand and fight rather than deploy their usual hit-and-run tactics.

On Thursday, Taliban militants took over a police station in the remote southern town of Garmser in Helmand province after officers fled for a second time in two months, police said. Taliban forces briefly held the town for two days in July before coalition troops retook it.

Jones said, however, that he was confident that NATO troops could win the war.

"In the relatively near future, certainly before the winter, we will see this decisive moment in the region turn in favor of the troops that represent the government," Jones said at NATO's military headquarters in southern Belgium.

He told reporters he was confident the meeting in Warsaw would muster helicopters, transport planes and several hundred "flexible" reserve troops able to move quickly around the region in support of the operation against the Taliban.

"It will help us to reduce casualties and bring this to a successful conclusion in a short period of time," he said. "This is not a desperate move, it is more of an insurance package."

Jones said he wanted to "destroy" Taliban fighters now confronting the NATO mission before they head back into the mountains with the onset of winter within the next few weeks.

Although Jones said he was confident allies would respond to his appeal at the Warsaw meeting, he did acknowledge that nations have been reluctant to commit troops to the NATO force, which has sustained increasing casualties in the last weeks.

NATO's Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer backed Jones' call for allies to strengthen the NATO force, which currently has about 20,000 troops.

"All allies should think how they can help," de Hoop Scheffer told reporters in Brussels.

People should be noting what appears to be a very coordinated upswing in violence in many areas right now. These are not discreet elements but part of a larger whole.

The Romance Of Paris

Ah, Paris in the spring. Walking hand-in-hand by the Seine. Then stepping in a big pile of dog doo. Well, that is a risk in Paris, but authorities say they are making progress in getting dog poo off the streets.

The number of dogs in the city has tumbled from 190,000 in 2003 to just under 150,000 this year, according to an annual survey carried out by the Paris mayor's office.

At the same time, the percentage of dog owners picking up excrement to avoid paying a 183 euro ($235) fine has soared from just 1 percent in 2001 to over 70 percent.

"There has been a considerable fall in the number of dog droppings," said Yves Contassot, an official in charge of cleanliness at the town hall.

Don't dog droppings always fall? Oh, never mind. Meanwhile, while Paris is making headway in getting droppings off the streets, LA police are making headway in getting Paris off the streets.

LOS ANGELES – Paris Hilton was arrested early Thursday for investigation of driving under the influence after she was spotted in Hollywood "driving erratically," police said. Hilton was arrested shortly before 12:30 a.m., said police officer I. Isabella.

Hilton, 25, was booked on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI and released on her own recognizance, Isabella said.

"The officers observed that Hilton exhibited the symptoms of intoxication. A field sobriety test was conducted at scene, and the officers determined she was driving under the influence," Isabella said, reading from a police statement. He said officers stopped Hilton because she was "driving erratically."

(I just had to tie those two stories together. It was the only thing that could get me to mention Paris Hilton.)

News Most Fowl

It seems to be trifecta day in fowl news.

Item: It is generally not a good idea to shoot your wife's pet chicken. She might just shoot you in return.

"We don't know if it was an accident or if it was on purpose," Sgt. Clint Riley said. "It depends who you ask."

Riley said the couple had been drinking for much of Monday while they did yard work at their rented home in the town northwest of Eugene, and they began arguing after Stephen Gray shot the chicken with a .44-caliber handgun.

Deputies said he was then hit with a shot from a .22-caliber rifle, and is recovering. Mary Gray was arraigned Tuesday on an assault charge.

Guns, alcohol and chickens do not mix.

Item: Microsoft is giving lessons in the Latvian language! Repeat after me: Vista, fowl, Vista, fowl. It seems the word Vista means just that in Latvian. It also has a slang meaning that is somewhat less flattering.

RIGA (AFP) – As global software giant Microsoft proudly previewed its Windows Vista operating system, in the small Baltic nation of Latvia, people were clutching their sides about the system's name — which means 'fowl' in Latvian.

Worse still, it's a slang term for a frumpy woman.

"Everybody in my office bursts out laughing whenever I start talking about the new operating system," 26-year-old customer assistance manager Zanis, who works in the Latvian capital, Riga, told AFP.

"Sure, the Microsoft people in the US cant be expected to understand all languages, but this really is funny," he said.

Arvis, an IT manager of a chain of casinos in Riga, was also chuckling about Microsoft Frump. Or Fowl. No, make that Vista.

But, in an odd sort of way, he thinks the off-target name has hit the mark in Latvia.

"My people giggle about 'Vista', but I think it is positive because there are not many computer-related things that make you laugh," he said.

Raise your hand if you didn't already know Vista would be a fowl product. Anyone who has battled with Windows XP expected no less.

Item: Scientists are proudly pointing to their latest effort to track the spread of bird flu: Radio controlled swans! Oh sure, they say they're just tracking the waterfowl, but we know better.

Ten whooper swans were captured in far eastern Mongolia, near the borders of Russia and China, by an international team of scientists in early August as part of a study to shed light on how wild birds may be involved in spreading bird flu.

The whooper swans were chosen for the experiment because large numbers of the species have died in Mongolia and western China in the past two years. Tests verified that some of them were infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The H5 and H7 types of avian influenza cause very high death rates in poultry and are blamed for the vast majority of bird flu cases in humans, with the H5N1 bird flu strain killing an estimated 141 people.

An international team of scientists will track the birds' migration routes to glean information to aid in the fight against bird flu.

We strongly suspect that these radio controlled waterfowl are up to no good. But we can't prove it. So we'll leave to to the 9/11 conspiracy theorists to come up with the real "TRUTH". They're much better at spinning something out of thin air than we are here in the Crabitat.

Most Wanted

Ralph "Bucky" Phillips has been added to the US Marshal's 15 most wanted fugitives list. The escaped convict is suspected of killing a New York State trooper and wounding two others as well as a string of burglaries and car thefts. Police have recovered 35 of 41 guns that were stolen from a gun shop at a home in Western Pennsylvania. Phillips is suspected in that theft. Quite a few people who are suspected of helping the fugitive are currently in jail.

The search for Ralph "Bucky" Phillips, a career thief who broke out of an Erie County jail in April, has become one of the largest in New York history.

Authorities believe Phillips has been helped by numerous people since his escape, but has also broken into unoccupied hunting cabins in New York and Pennsylvania and stolen about 15 cars to remain one step ahead of police, authorities said.

Phillips may have spent 11 days hiding out in a western Pennsylvania home last month, slipping back into New York at least once to steal 41 guns from a gun shop, authorities said Wednesday.

As New York lawmen searched for Phillips in the rural wooded areas of the southwestern tip of the state, he was staying — at least some of the time — at the home of Todd Allen Nelson in Ludlow, Pa., Pennsylvania state police said.

Nelson, 30, was charged Aug. 31 with hindering the apprehension of Phillips after Pennsylvania troopers recovered 35 guns believed stolen from an Ellington, N.Y., gun shop at his home.

Phillips, 44, is the main suspect in the gun shop break-in.

"We know now that a total of 35 firearms are in the custody of law enforcement," said ATF spokesman Joseph Green. "The remaining weapons are two pistols, one shotgun, and three high-powered rifles that are still unaccounted for and we are actively seeking those weapons and seeking information."

Earlier posts with links to photos and wanted posters are here and here. Authorities are warning hunters to stay out of the woods and are offering a very large reward of $225,000 for information leading to Phillips capture. This guy is heavily armed and very dangerous, folks.

Cole Case Files

David White, writing  at the National Review Online has a bit of a scoop posted at the moment. While everyone, I suspect, has heard about Juan Cole's rejection by Yale and the wailing and gnashing of teeth that followed it, it seems there was another position that Cole interviewed for at Duke University.

He was not selected. With no fanfare, no vast conspiracy against him as his fans charge, no publicity at all. He was not selected on his very own lack of merit.

In November 2005, Duke announced the creation of an Islamic Studies Center complete with a chaired professorship in Islamic studies, with religious-studies professor Bruce Lawrence as the Center’s inaugural director. Shortly afterward, Duke began its search for a professor of modern Islamic studies, and Cole was selected as one of the four finalists. The search stretched across disciplines, and the four finalists consisted of two historians and two political scientists. Members of both departments at the university were encouraged to attend the job presentations of the finalists.

As the first finalist to visit, according to school officials, Cole’s presentation was well attended. Most professors had high hopes for the lecture, which focused on Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and the Shiite democratic tradition. After all, as Malachi Hacohen, an associate professor of history, religion, and political science at Duke who attended Cole’s lecture, explained, “Cole’s earlier work was solid.”

But according to several professors familiar with the proceedings, Cole’s presentation was unimpressive. According to Hacohen, “It was one of the worst job talks I have heard in my life,” “[it was] logically faulty,” and “the talk seemed as if it were directed more to CNN viewers than to an academic audience.” Michael Munger, chair of Duke’s department of political science, explained that Cole’s lecture “was just not at a level we were expecting…it was more like an undergraduate lecture.”

It seems the folks at Duke reached the conclusion that Cole was more interested in being a "public intellectual" than in serious academic work. Read the whole thing. It is not at all flattering to one of the heroes of the left.