Paul Waldman of The Gadflyer tells the story of his encounter, on camera and off, with Brent Bozell. It's a good story, but predictable. it illustrates the mindsets both of liberals and reactionaries, but Waldman manages to describe the resulting disconnect without understanding it.

The right does not argue from facts, it argues from principles. They are perfectly willing to lie in the cause of what they imagine to be a higher truth, so correcting the facts means nothing, it just gets them angry. I made the same comment earlier about Malkin. It's useless to argue with reactionaries, you have to argue with those things they take on faith but do not state. Don't respond to their logic, there is none; respond to their fear:
"Yes, there were atrocities. Yes, they were documented. Yes, the soldiers were lied to. What is your definition of patriotism? Is it patriotic to lie?.

Waldman's ironic distance is as annoying as Bozell's boorish stupidity. At least Bozell is playing to an audience. Waldman is playing the straight man to a clown, but the clown is always the star of the show. Waldman calls himself "the sacrificial liberal," It's his own damn fault.