Our 2 Cents On Novak

Anyone on the blogosphere who hasn't seen the recent CNN clip with Robert Novak ought to. Although it doesn't provide the kind of shock value that the John Stewart appearence on Crossfire did, it's amusing because James Carville, the ragin cajun, seems to successfully get under Novak's skin and cause him to not only swear on live television but to earn a suspension from CNN, commonly referred to amongst conservative bloggers as the Communist News Network.

Although Carville was probably being his usual obnoxious self, which is becoming of TV hacks, what he said was very witty: "He’s got to show these right wingers that he’s got a backbone, you know. It’s why The Wall Street Journal editorial page is watching you. Show ‘em that you’re tough."

Isn't it odd that a mainstream newspaper such as the Wall Street Journal has such a partisan, hateful editorial page? If you read the editorial page day after day, you'll realize that its rhetoric is really just the gilded version of the Rush Limbaugh show. They use bigger words and they maintain the paper policy of referring to people with a prefix (Mr., Ms., Senator etc.). However, their positions are considerably more venomous than is to be expected from this blue blooded, Dow Jones establishment. Moreover, when reading the Journal Op-Ed section, it seems that in order to apply for a column, one must identify himself as a Republican, a Conservative, or a Right-Winger.

This is unbecoming for the most circulated paper in the U.S. The Journal should take a note from its cross-town competitor, the New York Times, and balance its own ideology with its obligation to show different sides of issues. Opinions are a major part of the news. However, excluding one type of opinion is denying a large part of the news to the public.