Juxtaposition
Let us just put two things together here:
The allegations are the latest to shake the Allen campaign after weeks of negative publicity about his describing a Webb volunteer of Indian descent as "macaca," which is a genus of monkey and a racial slur in some cultures. He has also spent the past week dealing with revelations that his mother was raised Jewish, which he says he did not know until just weeks ago.
…..
It is not essential that a past president, bullied and sandbagged by a monkey posing as a newscaster, finally lashed back.
The first quote is from the Washington Post reporting on the particularly nasty attack on George Allen. The second quote, however was something that Keith Olberman said last night regarding Bill Clinton's interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday.
We report. We're pretty sure you can figure this out.
UPDATE: Inside Cable News: Olberman went too far.
UPDATE: AllahPundit has more on both issues.
By syn, September 26, 2006 @ 6:43 am
Wow, Olberman sure knows how to rally the unwashed masses. What a newsman!
Wasn’t there complains recently made by those of absolute collective thought of the bitter partisan politics polluting the political landscape?
By Ed, September 26, 2006 @ 7:55 am
Context, Gaius, context. All monkeys are not created equal.
By djw, September 26, 2006 @ 8:25 am
Three rather important points: Allen called someone a racial slur that is historically associated with the race of the man he was insulting. Olbermann did not. Second, while monkey has a history as a racial insult, it also has a history as a generic insult. Finally, even if you reject 1 and 2, noone is asking anyone to actually vote for Olbermann.
Efforts to defend Allen are becoming delightfully impressionistic and bizarre.
By Gaius, September 26, 2006 @ 8:37 am
One, the first point you make is not necessarily true. That narrative has been imposed on the story now. But at first nobody had a clue as to the word. It still is only one interpretation that it means “monkey” or any other thing at all. Please don’t spin that. Two, the insult is highly personal and extremely demeaning in any context. Three, this is the only good thing.