We are not Andrew Sullivan fans here, to put it mildly. But the past week, Marcia started distributing his writing on the Journolist scandal. For whatever reason, many of the points he made registered with us.
However . . .
He has something in front of him and misses it completely.
He quotes an e-mail from Ezra Klein (co-founder of Journolist) which states:
I set two rules for members: Center to left, and not working for the government, I didn't exercise discretion beyond that because I didn't want to be in the position of selectively choosing people.
Then Sullivan quotes another e-mail that proves Klein was selectively choosing -- but wait. Sullivan, did you miss it? "Not working for the government."
Then how did Peter Orszag get in?
(Please, no jokes that he slept his way in.)
Orszag is the current OMB and has been that since January 20, 2009. Prior to that? He was the Congressional Budget Office Director from January 2007 through the end of November 2008. So how did Orszag get on Journolist if Ezra Klein was indeed keeping out those who were "working for the government"?
Seems Ezra's been caught lying yet again. Maybe those CJR hot tub parties from years ago, will lead to justifications and enablers but the reality is Orszag's membership demonstrates Klein lied.