Comments on: Stabbed In The Back

By: HartWilliams

HartWilliams — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 02:50:50 +0000

No problem. (No one else seems to have seen it, either.) But my purpose wasn’t self-aggrandizement: recently, the New York Review of Magazines (published by Columbia University’s Journalism Department) published an “insider’s look” at what took place inside The Weekly Standard when they decided to declare “war” on The New Republic. It hasn’t been much seen, either. You might like to take a look at it.

There’s also quite lot of questionable inter-linkage between the Weekly Standard’s blog swarm and General Petraeus’ Public Affairs officer, Col. Steven Boylan.

And, if I didn’t make it clear, kudos for finally telling “the other side of the story,” which Goldfarb and his milblogging minions exploited to pretend (in typical one-sided debate fashion) that they had the “truth” of the matter, without a clue as to what that truth might be. There’s a cache on the blow-by-blow here.

By: endiem

endiem — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:49:23 +0000

kilo – my reference was actually to the old punishment of sending someone “to the galleys” – as in penal servitude on a ship.

By: Spencer Ackerman

Spencer Ackerman — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:48:57 +0000

My apologies. I wasn’t aware of your blog.

By: HartWilliams

HartWilliams — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:19:57 +0000

Great piece, but I have to take one small exception. You write in your article, “Ironically, the only people besides [wife Elspeth] Reeve who have consistently stood by Beauchamp are his buddies in the army.”

Not entirely true. I’ve been consistently blogging about the Goldfarb machinations in this affair for over a year, including about 12,000 words this month:

• The Scum Also Rises (August 4), and

• The Old Man and the Sleaze (August 6).

Rhetorical flourishes are fun but ofttimes not entirely accurate.

Thanks for putting this abomination of Rightie libel back in the public eye.

By: Spencer Ackerman

Spencer Ackerman — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:14:09 +0000

Sorry, yes, that was jargon-y. Galleys are pre-printed pages.

By: Kilo

Kilo — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:07:22 +0000

Dude, you’re thinking of the gallows, or the kitchen on a ship. Both scenarios would be more interesting than the actual meaning, which is apparently nerdspeak for a type of pre-print proof copy. ie Give her the pre-press draft to edit.

By: endiem

endiem — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:26:06 +0000

kilo -

I think Spencer Ackerman forgot to put the words “to the” before galleys in writing “he offered to send her galleys.”

I agree with those who thought it was a good article.

By: Kilo

Kilo — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:07:08 +0000

He offered to send her galleys before the piece went to press and asked her to correct any factual mistakes she noticed.

Send her what now ?

By: macaquerman

macaquerman — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:18:54 +0000

I liked the story very much.
Perhaps you could clarify one thing for me. You say that you suspect Michael — Goldfarb of either “shoddy journalism or plain dishonesty.”
By plain dishonesty are you implying that it one of his lesser efforts?

By: Teddy Partridge

Teddy Partridge — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:35:35 +0000

Thanks, Spencer. Great article.