Washington Post editorial page editor Fred Hiatt took to the paper on Friday to lament ”
Republican doctrinal fantasies
” such as climate-change denial. On subjects like global warming and the consequences of lowering tax rates, Hiatt wrote, Republicans operate on “blind faith”:
Surplus or deficit, peace or war, healthy growth or steep recession — anything is an argument for tax cuts.
On the subject of global warming in particular, Hiatt pointed out that leading Republicans “are scrambling to disavow” their earlier professions of belief that greenhouse gas emissions are changing the climate. Tim Pawlenty, a former supporter of emissions limits, now says he is uncertain about the cause of climate change—a “calculating and cowardly” position, Hiatt suggested.
Hiatt’s disgust with this behavior was so great, he almost violated the Post’s sacred doctrine of equivalence. After devoting one obligatory paragraph to the notion that “Democrats aren’t honest in these areas, either,” Hiatt wrote that the failure of Democrats to be honest was explained (partially) by “Republican irresponsibility.” It was like hearing the Pope say the Host tastes like bread.
What makes the Republicans think they can be so reckless and deceptive? Consider Sarah Palin, another of Hiatt’s examples:
Palin, who as Alaska governor supported efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions, in 2009 wrote in The Post, “But while we recognize the occurrence of these natural, cyclical environmental trends, we can’t say with assurance that man’s activities cause weather changes.”
How dare she? What makes Sarah Palin think she can print that sort of deceptive nonsense in… Hang on, in what?
, you say. The opinion section. If only Fred Hiatt were in a position to put a stop to that sort of thing.
