It's not that Kos (or Webb, for that matter) are outspoken critics of the special relationship [with Israel]. Far from it. But it is clear that the constituencies they represent, or hope to represent, are much more skeptical about U.S. intervention in the Middle East than the Democratic old guard -- which, let's face it, is practically welded to the Israel lobby. Even worse, this is all happening at a time when the Iraq quagmire is making the costs of our imperial role in the region painfully clear.
The very length of Billmon's post belies the "It's idiocy. Whatever." tone he establishes at its outset. And well it should. Billmon is quick to downplay that any of this might have its genesis at Karl Rove's desk (or trough... never been there myself), but there is quite a bit of buzz in this particular corner of the blogosphere about internet perception management.
Example: customscoop customer (or facsimile) no doubt
"NetVocates then recruits activists and consumers who share the clients views in order to reinforce those key messages on targeted blogs and rebut misinformation when appropriate."
or rebut the truth
I hardly ever read even read Kos' blog but if this seems like a swiftboat, it might be because it is a swiftboat. I won't defend a blog I hardly ever read (and by all accounts, I'm only missing out on the story as told by Corporate Party Lite), but I have every reason to believe that whisper campaigns don't generate themselves. And if a tentacle of the NYT is doing some of the whispering it might not be my tinfoil to suspect that there's something (else) rotten in the virtual state of Denmark.
If there's swiftboating afoot, it's disheartening to me that it is centered on a bastion of Corporate Lite instead of us here (or anyone else with any alternative politics). This means that while we will still feel the collateral damage of civil liberties lost, the PTB also still only view their spineless, snivelling, complicit political negative images as any kind of real threat to be duplicitously dealt with.
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