Friday, December 30, 2005

Fake but True School of Political Debate

Via Tim Blair, when Dan Rather and Mary Mapes used the "fake but accurate" theory of journalism I, like many others, burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter. Apparently though it was never a joke to the left, who instead had a million dollar idea.

This is Juan Cole's response to learning that the ridiculous story about the student questioned for reading Mao was a hoax:

The story of the interlibrary loan request for Mao’s Little Red Book that produced an interview by the Department of Homeland Security turns out to be a hoax.

However, it is one of those hoaxes that bespeaks a reality...


And this from Senator Kennedy's office:

Laura Capps, a Kennedy spokeswoman, said last night that the senator cited ‘’public reports” in his opinion piece. Even if the assertion was a hoax, she said, it did not detract from Kennedy’s broader point that the Bush administration has gone too far in engaging in surveillance.

If "fake but true" is a viable political position, how come it still brings on fits of uncontrollable laughter?

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