On Recognizing Train Wrecks

clipped from www.windsofchange.net I've commented in the past on the newfound interest not just to win whatever the debate of the moment is, but to drive one's opponents before you from the field in doing so, etc. etc. I think this is a moral and political train wreck, because more than anything the core of our political system is that the losers are expected to play along with the understanding that they continue to be part of the system. We don't do purges, and that's a good thing. Here's Atrios today: Is Tom Friedman a Bad Person? All signs point to "pretty hideous human being, one which all good people should shun." So today, Atrios is the winner of the first Moon Unit award, which I'll give out to people who think that gagging someone - with or without a spoon - is an appropriate political response.