Intellectuals in America are bound by strict rules when it comes to public debate.
Unless you want to be sidelined to discussions on KPFK and obscure liberal websites, there are two rules:
1. You must not challenge the notion that America is the greatest country on earth.
2. You must not criticize Israel in any shape or form.
The leftist pundits in the main stream media are well aware of these rules, and although they may ask challenging questions in relation to domestic policy, the assumption that American interests supersedes everyone else’s, and Israel is always right are never, ever challenged.
Andrew Sullivan has, in recent times, skated dangerously close to the edge of the self-imposed restrictions, particularly when it comes to Israel.
A former Bush supporter and neocon, Sullivan’s world view was forever altered as the tenets of his philosophy were exposed to be completely fraudulent when tested against reality.
The disasters of the Iraq and Afghan wars, the failure of unfettered capitalism to create wealth and prosperity for all, the corruption of Wall St, and the sheer brutality of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians were too much for Sullivan, and to his credit, he changed his mind.
Sullivan blogged eloquently on the horrific assault on Gaza back in 2008, and the experience turned him against the notion that Israel can do no wrong.
Read the rest on the Huff