Two things about the email struck me. The first was the incredible sense of entitlement that seems to have been ingrained in the author. He's had his boots licked by journalists for so long that he actually expects someone to keep everything he tells them confidential unless he's explicitly feeding them a tidbit to "leak" to the public. As Glenn mentioned, that attitude speaks volumes about the way the press has been corrupted over the past decade or so.

The other thought that occurred to me was that Glenn had better watch his back. There was plenty of threat behind the bluster.

Another brutal verbal smackdown. Thanks. Your posts are almost as good as having a strong cup of coffee. On second thought, they're better than that. Obviously, this particular piece will go into your growing secret government file. And I wonder if you will someday be rewarded for it with a session or two of government sanctioned waterboarding?

Thanks again. You helped make my day.

When the standard "fair and balancing" of administration corruption is to spread half the blame -- but none of the political capital -- onto Dems, and chicken-heart Dems meekly accept this, why change?

Dems had an opportunity this year to chip away at this machinery but instead, they endorsed it. The expectation of a mass media kiss up on taking back the WH is almost as big a blunder as this admin's diverting of War on Whatever into Iraq. There's absolutely no good reason to work with the Prez behind the scenes but Dem leadership are inexplicably doing it (cf. Bush Dogs) in anticipation of respect that's not forthcoming from their political opponents and from the media.

Why shouldn't any partisan thug be as dickish as Bolan? The worse they are, the more deodorant the Dems provide.

.

Glenn,

This email is really bizarre, and I cannot imagine anyone with an ounce of professionalism sending it. Please verify that it is authentic. It is entirely possible for someone to make it appear that an email came from a particular address, when in fact, it did not.

Though you've stuck to the facts in your commentary, it may still be an attempt to take you down like Dan Rather.

Tread carefully.

Appreciate all your writing. At least there's one of you; I once believed the newspapers would be full of writers like you.

It would probably be a serious federal offense if it was, impersonating a military officer, even in an e-mail. Atrios has linked to it:

Creepy

Glenn gets a truly creepy email from Col. Steven A. Boylan.

It's obviously designed to intimidate, and would probably work on some

As Digby observed yesterday, they are starting to play very rough because they are swirling down the drain and it's silly season and they are about to get clobbered again. granted, this is just a local race:

The Kids Are In Play

by digby

Stalkin' Malkin politics continues apace...

(...)

New rules for Democrats. If you put your home phone number in the phone book or a picture of your kids on a mailer to your supporters, your opponents are perfectly justified in publishing your home address, phone number and kids names circled in red in an attack ad and send it to a bunch of gun-toting, right wing neanderthals. If some freak starts calling your house after getting it, it's your fault for admitting to having children...

This is the new reality for Democrats, I'm afraid. The kids are now "fair game." Why wouldn't they be? The Republicans think nothing of outing CIA agents for political purposes. Why should they care about siccing some nutcase on a kid? As we saw with the Graeme Frost thing, if you advocate for Democratic policies, or you have the temerity to allow your child to participate in civic life in any way, you are asking to be stalked, threatened and harmed by those who oppose you. Get used to it.

You'll be glad to know that this practice isn't considered to be a big deal by Villagers and their friends...

(...)

University of Virginia political expert Larry Sabato said the mailer went too far, but doubted the issue would "effect the election."

"I don't blame anyone in the public eye being upset at having the home address and phone number listed," Sabato said. "As a rule, candidates and campaigns ought to stick to official numbers and addresses. This is a venial sin instead of a mortal sin."

Too true. Hey, if your little seven year old girl can't take the heat then maybe daddy and mommy ought to stay out of the political kitchen, eh? Politics ain't beanbag, kid.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/kids-are-in-play-by-digby-stalkin.html

Glenn, you are a journalist and a great one. You are brilliant and brave.

What you have published from this strange little man is right out of a Barbara Pym novel. The pettiness, the hissy fit, the man in uniform reaching for his smelling salts, the love of shy Alan Colmes ...

I'm serious. One day, take a look at Pym's Excellent Women. It's a novel about people in a church congregation making barbed remarks.

The man's off his nut, and I worry about the American military. I always thought Ge. Petraeus was a fool, but his assistant is right out of a sitcom. Are you sure this isn't some kind of inspired gay hoax?

This passage in the email seem to stand out:

"I am curious as to when you think the media relations or operations changed here in Iraq. I in fact do know exactly the day and time that it changed and want to see if you are even in the same ballpark as reality. . . .

In light of the topic of your post, this is a rather striking claim to make, and it was made in a damned threatening way.

I think your post earlier this week about politicization of the officers' corps of the various branches of the U.S. military was correct. It was correctly targeted; it threw some light on an important subject. Various ultra-rightist actors within this administration would like to "stealth" alter the management ranks of our armed forces in the way that they have altered the same strata at the DoJ. Those alterations are most visible in PR.

The Britney-obsessed domestic "newsmedia" has been willfully oblivious to changes of this kind, and certain politically motivated actors have grown comfortable with the idea that their actions would never see daylight. I'd translate this passage: "You are not a journalist nor do you have any journalistic ethical standards as we found out from the last time I engaged with you." as... how dare you pay attention!!!

Berating civilian critics for being too ignorant of operational details to voice an opinion is an old military trick, and its one that should suffer. You've probably been inaccurate a number of times about details -- but your central thesis from this past week's post seems all too accurate. If anyone had an honest rebuttal, he would make it in plain English.