Smearing Shmearing!

A lot of people think a lot of Eugene Volokh, and people I know personally have told me that he's brilliant and one of the webs true intellectual gems, so I can only scratch my head on this one. In the sequel to his censure of Dennis Hastert's on-air question over the source of George Soros's funding ('drug groups?'), he cites similar statements made by Hastert on a recent radio show, then challenges those who still disagree him:

Those who are tempted to come to Hastert's defense by saying that he was just giving a hypothetical example -- "I'm not saying he is getting this money, I'm just saying we can't know" -- should ask themselves what they'd think about (the purely hypothetical case of) some Democratic politician's saying "I don't know where Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are getting their money, if it comes from overseas or from neo-Nazis."

Those like me? But I'm not coming to the defense of Dennis Hastert. I'm coming to the defense of speech, and I think you're thundering loud over nothing. I've already responded both to your misplaced outrage and to that bit of trickery at the end, and that Hastert says is 'it could be drug money' is still no indictment. It wouldn't shock me in the least to hear a leftist accuse anyone of Nazi ties or sympathies.

That's their bread and butter.

posted by Dennis on 09.03.04 at 09:59 AM





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Hrmm... wasn't Volokh among those of us blasting the McCain-Feingold act primarily because it was anti-first ammendment?

To me, that's an inherent byproduct of free speech: you also get people who use it irresponsibly, and you can't circumsribe their use of it without opening a potential can of worms taht's far far worse. If that means living with the "Bush=NAZI!" people and the "Soros = Drug money?" types on both sides... well, so be it.

Ironbear   ·  September 3, 2004 10:29 PM


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