A number of readers

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A number of readers have written in saying that by writing so much about this moronic John Kerry hair story I am actually perpetuating the story, much as I accused Judy Woodruff of doing. Perhaps so. But I think it’s worth writing about, even important to write about, because for all the media criticism out there, the media is very unreflective about the ways it allows itself to be manipulated. This Drudge-borne hair story is a good example.

So as frivolous as the story may be I think it’s worth paying attention to as a sort of object lesson in the mainstream press’s general insipidness and openness to manipulation.

Another point. Several folks wrote in to say that I mischaracterized Tony Blankley’s column in the Washington Times. There’s an element of truth to this. Blankley did mock the attention the hair story got. But he also ran with it. And there were so many other denigrating, disingenuous and tawdry comments in it that I thought it well merited inclusion.

Finally, a few whiny ‘wingers have said this is just a joking thing that shouldn’t be taken so seriously. And why am I giving it so much attention? Mockery and ridicule are two of the most effective of political tools. Conservative polemicists understand this very well — and their opponents would do well to take note of it. As I’ve noted earlier, Al Gore is perhaps the best example.

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