Speaking of flip flops

Byron Calame, public editor at The New York Times, has flopped in a big way:

My July 2 column strongly supported The Times’s decision to publish its June 23 article on a once-secret banking-data surveillance program. After pondering for several months, I have decided I was off base. There were reasons to publish the controversial article, but they were slightly outweighed by two factors to which I gave too little emphasis. While it’s a close call now, as it was then, I don’t think the article should have been published.

Those two factors are really what bring me to this corrective commentary: the apparent legality of the program in the United States, and the absence of any evidence that anyone’s private data had actually been misused.

...

I haven’t found any evidence in the intervening months that the surveillance program was illegal under United States laws. Although data-protection authorities in Europe have complained that the formerly secret program violated their rules on privacy, there have been no Times reports of legal action being taken.

There you have it.  The cornerstones upon which moonbats frothed at the mouth, spewing their demented Bush deranged claims, have been removed by an editor at the very paper embroiled in the center of the storm. 

Will we hear recantings?  Will we hear apologies?  Will we hear anyone with the integrity to admit they were blinded by their ideological hatred say a damned thing?  Including those commenters of my own with rabid tendencies?

*chirp* *chirp*  *chirp*

We won't.  Guaranteed.  Instead, we'll hear more of the same leftist claptrap we've been hearing, only this time they'll find a way to spin Calame's buried mea culpa to their advantage.

And don't hold your breath for the MSM to weigh in on the about face.  It's not news fit to print, especially a couple of weeks before an election.  Read Calame's own words as he attempts to excuse his behavior after the fact:

What kept me from seeing these matters more clearly earlier in what admittedly was a close call? I fear I allowed the vicious criticism of The Times by the Bush administration to trigger my instinctive affinity for the underdog and enduring faith in a free press — two traits that I warned readers about in my first column.

Vicious criticism my rear end.  What kept Calame and like-minded sycophants from seeing clearly is the hatred they have for all things Bush.

Michelle sums it up:

Every last bit of that "vicious" criticism was deserved. Stop making excuses. It's Bush hatred that led to the reckless publication of the story. It's journalistic hubris that prevents the rest of Calame's colleagues from admitting the truth.

What would make my day is if a member of the Religious Left were to now show some integrity and join with Calame.  I won't hold my breath.

UPDATE: Sqiggler has a boat load more on this with lots of links and quotes and this particular vent:

Traitorous is what they are. This was no insignificant revelation. It hurt us badly with our allies and intelligence agencies worldwide. It hampers our ability to track the terrorists. It is one of many leaks that have damaged the United States and the Bush Administration's ability to fight the terrorists. It is unforgiveable.

Comments

[saketini99]

Rick-

I enjoy strolling by the mouth of the fetid cyber cave you squat in every other week or so to smell what new rank offense is issuing from it. You never fail to provide some new fragrant amusement.

The man has the balls to publicly apologize and admit his mistake and you're response is to hop up and down in a tizzy. Because any principled opposition to your monkey in chief is seen as an act of derangement.

So it's not enough that he recants his earlier position, that he can apologize...

I'm just curious, who among the Right will apologize for the mishandling of Iraq? For the dead American soldiers who's lives have been WASTED by this gang in office? No one, certainly not you and the rest of the, what's the popular term these days... oh yeah, wingnuts.

And I'm certainly not of the religious left (because religion is for suckers) but proudly of the Left.

[Jeff H]

Pride misplaced, thy name is saketini99.

[Rick]

Pride misplaced, thy name is saketini99.

[Head nodding affirmatively]

Or Zossima...

:)