« A Den of Thieves | Main | Saying You're Sorry Means You Never Have to Change »

July 07, 2006

Rummy, What's Your 10-20? Come On Back.

Much of the unhinged portion of the right-wing blogosphere, apparently off its meds for more than a few days, is rallying around a call-to-arms over the New York Times publishing information about the St. Michaels, Maryland homes of Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.

"Why, they've pointed the terrorists right to them!" they cry in unison. "Crucify the traitors! Crucify them!"

OK, all well and good, but first we'll have to start with right-wing darling pseudonews site NewsMax, as back in 2005 they wrote:

Vice President Cheney is buying a house in posh St. Michaels, Maryland - he is, that is, if you believe the rumors swirling around this Eastern Shore community on the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay.

Then again he and his wife may not be in the process of buying a luxurious $2.9 million mansion thought to have been built by one of Thomas Edison's daughters back in 1930.

According to the Washington Post, it's set amidst nine lush bayfront acres and includes extensive gardens, ornamental pools and spectacular views of the bay behind it - and it boasts among its neighbors Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Not to be outdone by flippity-flopper John Kerry, however, they're indignant about it all.

Beware of travel feature stories posing as invitations to terror...

Times Travel section writer Peter Kilborn even makes sure enemies of the two men will know such details as where Mrs. Rumsfeld shops in the eastern shore town of St. Michaels, Md. where the two administration officials have weekend retreats.

He even lets the curious know what street the Cheneys and Rumsfelds have to use to get to their own road.

NewsMax was in favor of this story before it was against it.

St. Michaels is a town of 1200 people, a town where the median income is $39K per year... I don't think it's going to be any well-kept secret where the rich people in town live.

Don't misunderstand me: The New York Times has done stupid, stupid things (e.g. reporting on the SWIFT program after being asked by multiple government sources to reconsider - but then they weren't the only ones to report it). However, when the right-wingnutters grasp at things like this as if they were the end all be all of traitorous behavior from the media, they just look stupid.

Very, very stupid.