Breitbart Dishes on Gingrich, Weiner, Palin

Andrew Breitbart, the self-described “biased journalist” who first released photographs “sexted” to various women by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), closed out the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual Summer Bash on Sunday night, June 12. By the time Breitbart took the stage, all but one of the television cameras and most of the members of the local and national press who had come to cover the foreign policy speech given by Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich earlier in the evening had packed up and left.

In an interview earlier in the evening with the Jewish Journal, Breitbart called the former House speaker “a very smart man, a very wise man,” but said he did not want to see Gingrich become the Republican nominee.

“I hope that he becomes the top adviser to the future President of the United States,” Breitbart said.

Bretibart said he expected “Somebody from the ‘Tea Party,’ authentic side of the Republican party” to win the nomination, in what he predicted would be “a ‘Survivor,’ ‘Apprentice,’ ‘American Idol,’ a one-year-long battle, for the best to emerge the victor.”

Those who stayed until the end got a glimpse into who Breitbart is, what he thinks about the Middle East he and how exactly this Jewish boy from Brentwood became a conservative force to reckoned with.

There were Weiner jokes: “Why is this night different from all other nights? Well, on this night, the American political agenda is being held hostage by a schmuck.”

There was unsolicited messaging advice from Breitbart to the New York Congressman: Weiner could have said, “that he was trying to demonstrate the virtues of circumcision against the anti-circumcision lobby.”

There was a swipe at journalistic objectivity: “You cannot be objective when it comes to right and wrong, and Israel is in the right. So I’m a biased journalist and I’m having a great time doing it.”

Breitbart, who recently published a memoir (“Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World!”), has identified “the Democrat-Media Complex” as his primary adversary, and the only way to defeat this force is to join his preferred cause—namely, the Tea Party movement.

“That ‘outside of the Beltway’ spirit is what has helped save the Republican Party, it has helped save the Conservative movement, and I’m demanding that you join this movement,” Breitbart told the audience.

Then, after a quick disclaimer—“This is not an endorsement of former Governor Sarah Palin”—Breitbart went on to praise Palin as a fighter of corruption in Alaska, as a supporter of the Jewish State, and as a victim of attacks by the mainstream media.

“They blamed her for Tucson,” Breitbart said, “and as they were kicking her when she was on the ground, she shrieked ‘This is a blood libel,’ and then they attacked her for that too. Thank god for Alan Dershowitz standing by her, despite the fact that he’s a liberal Democrat.”

To recap, it’s Gingrich for a Cabinet post, Weiner for pro-circ spokesman—and Palin for President?

There was a swipe at journalistic objectivity: “You cannot be objective when it comes to right and wrong, and Israel is in the right. So I’m a biased journalist and I’m having a great time doing it.”
You cannot be objective, period. But you can try to approximate it. But to do so you must make a serious effort to identify, openly, the reasons why you are not objective in a particular case.
That is, you must make statements against your own interest. And it is that which a journalist cannot do while at one and the same time claiming actually to be - or even allowing others to describe him as - objective.
The case is precisely the opposite of Yodda's dictum, "Do or do not. There is no 'try'." We need, therefore, a word which defines one who is actually trying to be objective - but who, in the nature of things, cannot claim or allow others to claim actual objectivity for himself. And there is a word which was coined in ancient Greece essentially for that purpose.
sophist 1542, earlier sophister (c.1380), from L. sophista, sophistes, from Gk. sophistes, from sophizesthai "to become wise or learned," from sophos "wise, clever," of unknown origin. Gk. sophistes came to mean "one who gives intellectual instruction for pay," and, contrasted with "philosopher," it became a term of contempt. Ancient sophists were famous for their clever, specious arguments. philosopher O.E. philosophe, from L. philosophus, from Gk. philosophos "philosopher," lit. "lover of wisdom," from philos "loving" + sophos "wise, a sage." "Pythagoras was the first who called himself philosophos, instead of sophos, 'wise man,' since this latter term was suggestive of immodesty." [Klein]

I admit that the Greeks were discussing "wisdom" rather than "objectivity," but then - is there any substantive difference between the words? Is there any such thing as "unwise objectivity?" Or "non-objective wisdom?" I suggest there is more of a distinction than a difference - and that, etymologically at least, "philosopher" is the word most descriptive of "a person who is trying, not to merely to seem but actually to be, objective."

This is the meaning I immediately thought of: (from www.dictionary.com)

dish it out, Informal . to dispense abusive language, punishment, or praise, enthusiastic approval, etc.: When it comes to flattery, he can really dish it out.

However, there was another one that they are probably using in this headline: to gossip about

I would have chosen a different verb.

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