The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

The Joy of Undiminished Praise

Posted on | January 1, 2010 | 16 Comments

One of the highlights of 2009 was when 17-year-old Jackie Seal exposed MSNBC’s Norah O’Donnell as the hateful idiot she is. I blogged about that incident and promoted the post via Twitter, discovering in the process that Jackie was in fact my Twitter friend “SoccerSealUSA.”

Operating in the usual file-and-forget mode — 20-plus years in the newspaper business eradicates any possibility of dwelling on what happened yesterday, much less last week or last month — I moved on to other merry adventures. Then on New Year’s Eve Jackie sent this Tweet:

This is the first thing you see when googling my name (@rsmccain) http://twitpic.com/w2eug

How cool is that, huh? Seventeen years old, and famous forever as an American hero, thanks to an Old School habit I’ve brought with me into New Media.

When you’re assigned to do a feature profile of somebody, treat them like a superstar. Write them up like they’re a natural-born VIP and whatever they do is so incredibly splendid as to challenge the power of language to describe it. If you’re writing up the Player of the Year for the Calhoun (Ga.) Times, Fairmount High School’s Tim Starr isn’t merely a good basketball player, he’s the most impressive phenomenon since Naismith nailed a peach basket to the wall of the Springfield YMCA gym.

So when I saw the video of Jackie’s encounter with O’Donnell, I wasn’t going to praise her partially, with qualifying modifiers. That would not do. Miss Seal, you were marvelous and courageous – you made my day — and fully merited the most effusive enconiums I could muster. Henceforth, if tempted to act in an indecorous or dishonorable manner (encountering Joe Francis during spring break in Panama City, perhaps) you should think to yourself, “What would an American hero do?”

By extension of this principle, you understand that Carol at No Sheeples Here produces the best graphics in the blogosphere:

Furthermore, no one can argue that Ed Driscoll is the most valuable contributor to Pajamas Media. However, if anyone else at Pajamas Media cares to dispute Extraordinary Ed’s title, linkage would be most welcome. IYKWIMAITYD.

And as for our readers, they include the most generous patrons of blogspheric excellence — thus distinguishing themselves from the rest of you ungrateful bastards who have not yet hit the tip jar.

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Comments

  • Kevin

    I note that the video that is available at the Rush Limbaugh link and at the old McCain blogspot site has been edited, so her remarks about the constitution have been removed. Was anyone ever alerted to this?

  • Kevin

    I note that the video that is available at the Rush Limbaugh link and at the old McCain blogspot site has been edited, so her remarks about the constitution have been removed. Was anyone ever alerted to this?

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  • http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/ keyboard jockey

    Much Needed: Paula Deen PSA needed for New Year. Proper Preparation For “Pigs In A Blanket” GRIN.

    Recipe For Disaster:
    Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab aka Panty Bomber .
    So You Want To Set The World On Fire Or How I Spent My Christmas Vacation In United States Federal Prison.

    http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2010/01/we-need-paula-deen-psa-for-new-year.html

  • http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/ keyboard jockey

    Much Needed: Paula Deen PSA needed for New Year. Proper Preparation For “Pigs In A Blanket” GRIN.

    Recipe For Disaster:
    Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab aka Panty Bomber .
    So You Want To Set The World On Fire Or How I Spent My Christmas Vacation In United States Federal Prison.

    http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2010/01/we-need-paula-deen-psa-for-new-year.html

  • http://littlemissattila.com LIttle Miss Attila

    Skip the praise, McCain. I’d rather have the martinis, if it’s all the same to you…

  • http://littlemissattila.com LIttle Miss Attila

    Skip the praise, McCain. I’d rather have the martinis, if it’s all the same to you…

  • jefferson101

    Hang in there, Joy!

    When Alabama loses, he owes you one on me, clearly…..And even if they do somehow manage to pull a miracle out?

    RSM should be thanking his lucky stars at that point.

    FWIW, my son is a genuine Journalist, with a newspaper and everything. And he says Texas is going to win. So who am I going to listen to? An authentic Newspaper Publisher, or some Blogger?

    Go, Horns!

  • jefferson101

    Hang in there, Joy!

    When Alabama loses, he owes you one on me, clearly…..And even if they do somehow manage to pull a miracle out?

    RSM should be thanking his lucky stars at that point.

    FWIW, my son is a genuine Journalist, with a newspaper and everything. And he says Texas is going to win. So who am I going to listen to? An authentic Newspaper Publisher, or some Blogger?

    Go, Horns!

  • http://littlemissattila.com LIttle Miss Attila

    Lone Star state!

  • http://littlemissattila.com LIttle Miss Attila

    Lone Star state!

  • http://littlemissattila.com LIttle Miss Attila

    Lone Star state!

  • firefirefire

    in 2012…jackie will be a voter.

  • firefirefire

    in 2012…jackie will be a voter.

  • firefirefire

    in 2012…jackie will be a voter.

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