The sad, sad decline of Robert Parry

As Susan at Random Thoughts has been repeatedly noting, Robert Parry is just a disgrace these days. Ourselves, we think he can't forgive Bill Clinton for not rehabilitating his (Parry's) reputation. See, Parry destroyed his own name pursuing stories and his nickle & dime operation is pretty much all he has left.



Having destroyed his own name in MSM circles, he seems determined to prove to Panhandle Media consumers that he can do the same in the begging medium. He writes:



Acting as an ABC News debate moderator, Stephanopoulos -- and Clinton -- also injected a false suggestion that Ayers had either hailed the 9/11 attacks or had used the occasion as a grotesque opportunity to call for more bombings.



What Land of Crazy does Parry now live in. George Stephanopoulos clearly stated, "And in fact, on 9/11 he was quoted in The New York Times saying, 'I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough'." Hillary Clinton clearly stated, "And if I'm not mistaken, that relationship with Mr. Ayers on this board continued after 9/11 and after his reported comments, which were deeply hurtful to people in New York, and I would hope to every American, because they were published on 9/11 and he said that he was just sorry they hadn't done more." Published on 9-11. Not after. Now we grasp that Parry hasn't been published (other than self-published) in some time; however, most Americans know if something appears in a paper published on September 11th, it took place before that day or wouldn't be in the paper.



The New York Times is, after all, called a "newspaper" -- not a "prediction paper."



It's a point lost on an idiot who was kicked to the curb because he couldn't let go of Iran-Contra and was striking some as "nutty." Nutty certainly describes the April 18th piece we're quoting from (thanks to a former colleague of Parry's for e-mailing it) which is entitled, "Are the Clintons Playing Joe McCarthy?"



In this nutty column, Parry tries to draw a line between questioning someone about public associations with McCarthyism. He really is an idiot. We all grasped that when he was attempting to predict what Hillary might do as president on Democracy Sometimes, but we really grasp it now.



McCarthyism was a governmental witchhunt and despite all the revisionary history, the reality is that two groups were targeted: gays and Communists. You don't hear about the gay aspect much, do you? Even though it led a man who served under Truman and Eisenhower to withdraw his nomination because he knew he wouldn't be confirmed (he instead joined the film industry as a censor and lived a closeted life -- his home connected to his lover's).



What's interesting about today is that gays don't live in the closet. A number of Communists still do -- even though there's no reason to.



But a governmental witchhunt is not the same as asking about someone's personal associations. William Ayers made the FBI's most wanted list. Sorry to break it to nutso Parry, but Ayers long ago gave up any right to not be considered a public figure.



Someone who wants to be the president of the United States of America is close with a person who was on the FBI most wanted list, someone who only escaped a lengthy prison sentence because the government broke the law to get evidence, and that's not news?



Robert Parry has become a pathetic joke.



A news media that ignored these issues would be failing at their job. The Weather Underground went underground because they were wanted by the law. That Barack can't explain his relationship with Bill Ayers doesn't mean the press was wrong to ask. Only a nutso like Robert Parry would think the press shouldn't ask about a presidential candidate's known relationship with a terrorist.



By Parry's 'logic,' anytime the press investigates someone's links to organized crime, they're practicing "McCarthyism!"



McCarthyism was the government going on a witch hunt.



The one who has no shame is a trained journalist like Robert Parry who doesn't understand the role of the press. The one who has no shame is Robert Parry, so in the tank for his dreamdate Barry Obama that he just can't remember what actual reporting is. Years ago, when he was pursuing a crackpot story that never panned out, a DC veteran warned him about being too quick to believe. These days, belief is all he has because facts walked out on him long ago.