Wisdom tends to slow down "progress." It is interesting to read the arguments that brought Socrates to his cup of hemlock. Mainly it was his ability to use critical reason, especially critical social reason. He observed humankind a little too closely and slowed down the wheels of progress. One of my "favorite" nasty arguments was one put forward by Nazi Germany when they went about their social cleansing--the Hippocratic oath was old fashioned. Progressive folks just didn't believe in that anymore. The doctors had better things to do at the concentration camps.

Back to the topic of torture. It's always overseen by a Doctor who evidently believes his or her Hippocratic oath shouldn't get in the way of what needs to be done. I guess that's "progressive wisdom."

I am sorry if my words are brutal or harsh. I have the same worries you do.

I'd like to know who, in your opinion or that of the commenters here, is the worst offender (or the best stenographer)?

There isn't enough sodium bicarbonate on the planet to deal with the combined effects of all of us simultaneously considering the lengthy list of candidates for the position.

"I'd like to know who, in your opinion or that of the commenters here, is the worst offender (or the best stenographer)?"

I agree with Pedinska, because the list would be overwhelming and due to its weight meaningless. Perhaps, something more helpful would be a list of competent journalists and then rating them somehow for discussion purposes.

Are you out of your everlovin' mind?

What better way to relegate certain questions to the margins, than by having an elderly woman who's been used as the butt of a joke for the past decades, ask it.

I just googled 'Helen Thomas Obama press conference'. 1,190,000 results doesn't look very marginal to me. It looks like she might be the only one left in the press corp with big enough ovaries to pick a fight that's needed. In fact, long overdue.

You might want to also look more closely at who, exactly, it is that you are keeping company with when you disrespect someone of Ms. Thomas' accomplishments with sexist, ageist, "I'm so bored with it all" brainblargs like the one you just posted.

The fact that you felt it necessary to preface TWO, count 'em, TWO paragraphs with the words, "No offense" is pretty much a dead giveaway that what is coming will practically burn our eyebrows off with its offensiveness.

'Elderly woman as marginal'?!

What utter bullshit. If she were 'marginal' they would have kicked her out long ago. The fact that she is NOT marginal is the reason she is still there, as much of a thorn in this president's side as she was in the last.

Taking up too much space is she?

What makes you think that Helen's retirement would make space for someone like Atrios (fantastic as he is) if Atrios hasn't managed to get there yet on his own merit? Is there a limit in the WHPC on "crazy old leftists"? Would the entire WHPC spontaneously combust if there were two "col"s?

Or might it be that the WH won't necessarily go clamoring for another one to take her place when she's gone? Really. Think about it.

No. I propose that we should all be thankful that Helen is still there. And that at her age, and with her accomplishments, she still has the strength and courage to recognize the need for people like her to maintain a visible protest from the ranks of the Fourth Estate. Because I believe that when Helen Thomas finally has her final press conference, I don't think we'll ever see her like again in that Hallowed Institution.

And if you wonder why that's not possible, then you're starting to realize why Thomas has been so convenient to so many administrations.

Sorry. I guess I'm just too honked off at your attitude that elderly women should be kicked to the curb to make room for younger men to see the brilliance of all these past administrations that just kept ol' Helen around 'cause she's a useful hoot.

was simply priceless! He didn't pull any punches and told it like it was.

Very refreshing!

Amen, Sister.

I think you were way too kind. That was a ridiculous post!

I forgot to mention a rather important point about the segment with Prof. Nunberg: He validate what Glenn has been saying for a long time about the slothfulness and obedience to power of the Amerikan Izvestia (MSM).

Nunberg did a research of several international newspapers on the use of the word "torture". Even the right-wing ones (Berlusconi in Italy for instance) without exception use the proper word "torture". Only the US MSM does not dare to do so, whenever Americans are involved as perpetrators.

Liberal media? Suuuure!

I hope you got that out of your system. You over-reacted to what I posted, here's some things you missed:

No offense, she did her duty and ran a good race and lived a life that anyone should only stand in awe of; but this is the same sort of counterproductive support that's put two septuagenarians--Ron Paul and Ralph Nader--as the only two alternatives to the entrenched two party system.

I included two men in my critique. And I don't diss her lifetime of achievements. Being a ceremonial 90 year old leftist, however, is nothing to be proud of.

I have no doubt that you, I or Bystander could do her job. She asks one question, and its the same kind of question that we all ask here. What are the qualifications for that job? Does she actually write anything anymore? When was the last time you read an article by Helen Thomas? And I didn't bring up Ron Paul and Ralph Nader by accident; our standard bearers hang around way past their prime of ALL GENDERS AND RACES. Let's talk about Jesse Jackson too, and I had a big problem with Yasser Arafat, who left a hole the size of the grand canyon in Palestine because he didn't train his successor and thought he'd live forever; and people humored him. These people should be training their successors and making sure they get a foot in.

You're right about elderly--elderly is an 80 year old. When you're ninety there's really no word for it. There really does come a point in life--let's say around 74, where a person really does stop being able to do a job as well as a younger person. That's not ageism, that's just true. I've written this before. I don't mean that it has to be Atrios; it doesn't even have to be a "young" person. I'd settle for a 65 year old at this point. We'd just better get our priorities straight. Do we want to keep people around as keepsakes way past their prime, because we're scared to let a new generation in? There really is nothing Thomas does, objectively speaking, that any number of people can do. She's not there because of merit any longer, she's there as tradition, and she's used as a way to discredit progressive ideas.

I don't mind you getting mad, I suppose if the tables were turned, I might also skip a few graphs in the comment to find the things that really made my blood boil. But you really carved out what you wanted to react to.