The squawk of the pseudo-intellectuals

Peter Beinart, editor of The New Republic, in endorsing John Kerry, made the statement that the world is "less free" now than when Bush took office, blaming Bush for Putin's movement away from democracy and for a dictatorship in Uzbekistan and Pakistan. I'm sure those are really concerns for the average voter.

Beinart was the first journalist I heard make the "Bush Lied!" argument based on the Niger story, a bootstrap argument if I ever heard one. That's when I decided that he was not only not too bright, but dishonest as well. I doubt that TNR's endorsement will help Kerry much, but it confirms my decision not to waste my time on that magazine.

Yeah, I know that I'm not supposed to close my mind to other points of view, but I've pretty well considered this one and rejected it.