‘Noticeably Monosyllabic’

Posted on Comments

So says AOL News editor Steve Pendlebury, sampling blog reaction to the arrest of James O’Keefe:

Michelle Malkin: Ugh
Hot Air’s Allahpundit: Ohhhh boy
Political Byline: D’oh!
The Other McCain: Ruh-Roh
Instapundit Glenn Reynolds: Hmm

Maybe he expected us to say, “Wiretapping is as American as apple pie” or “If Mary Landrieu doesn’t get wiretapped, the terrorists win.” But Pendlebury is fair-minded enough to note Andrew Breitbart’s reaction:

“Let me state clearly for the record: wiretapping is wrong. But until I hear the full story from James O’Keefe, I will not speculate as to what he was doing in Louisiana,” Breitbart said.

Which is exactly right. As bad as this looks, based on the FBI affidavit and the available news reports, we don’t know if this was a “Louisiana Watergate” or some kind of made-for-video stunt or what. Remember when the headlines were about “anti-government sentiment” causing the lynching of a Census worker — later determined to be a suicide? We’ll wait to see what happens, and leave the crystal-ball stuff to the MSM psychics.

UPDATE: “Heh.” Meanwhile, Ace of Spades and Allahpundit go polysyllabic in seeking to understand what James O’Keefe was doing.

22 comments

  1. Patterico is all over this and he’s skeptical. He has said: “the affidavit does not say one word about any of them possessing any listening devices. Not one.”

    He’s also skeptical about the author of the WaPo writer who authored the story.

    I’m waiting to hear more. Surely if there had been anything damning (other than O’Keefe’s presence) we would have heard by now.

  2. Patterico is all over this and he’s skeptical. He has said: “the affidavit does not say one word about any of them possessing any listening devices. Not one.”

    He’s also skeptical about the author of the WaPo writer who authored the story.

    I’m waiting to hear more. Surely if there had been anything damning (other than O’Keefe’s presence) we would have heard by now.

  5. Do we not have a legal system that presumes innocence before proof of guilt?

    KSM would be disturbed by those first reactions. I was.

  6. Do we not have a legal system that presumes innocence before proof of guilt?

    KSM would be disturbed by those first reactions. I was.

  7. Miss Sharon,
    The presumption of innocence only applies to Liberals/Progressives, such as John Edwards or Bill Clinton both of whom must be presumed innocent even after being proven guilty. Any conservative is presumptively guilty if only of the crime of conservatism, than which there is no crime greater.

  8. Miss Sharon,
    The presumption of innocence only applies to Liberals/Progressives, such as John Edwards or Bill Clinton both of whom must be presumed innocent even after being proven guilty. Any conservative is presumptively guilty if only of the crime of conservatism, than which there is no crime greater.

  12. Smile … You’re on Candid Camera. Alan Funt. TV that started it all in 1948. Talking mailboxes. Elevators that went sideways. People bringing film into a store to be developed, and the “setting” is switched for a Dry Cleaners to be there, two days later.

    You can’t fool me! Roger Moore got his start with stunt videos! This story? The kids wanted to see why no constituents of Landeiu’s (sp?) … could get through to her offices during the health care debate. On Tuesday she reported in public, there was something wrong with her phones.

    O’Keefe went in to prove the staff just took the phones off the hook.

    There’s nothing in the affidavit that says these kids were wire tapping. NADA. Stay tuned. The media reports were wrong. Imagine that. You’ve been lied to again.

    By the way, I loved Candid Camera! I still carry around memories of the episodes I saw, long ago. TV was in Black and White. No laws broken then. And, no laws broken now.

  13. Smile … You’re on Candid Camera. Alan Funt. TV that started it all in 1948. Talking mailboxes. Elevators that went sideways. People bringing film into a store to be developed, and the “setting” is switched for a Dry Cleaners to be there, two days later.

    You can’t fool me! Roger Moore got his start with stunt videos! This story? The kids wanted to see why no constituents of Landeiu’s (sp?) … could get through to her offices during the health care debate. On Tuesday she reported in public, there was something wrong with her phones.

    O’Keefe went in to prove the staff just took the phones off the hook.

    There’s nothing in the affidavit that says these kids were wire tapping. NADA. Stay tuned. The media reports were wrong. Imagine that. You’ve been lied to again.

    By the way, I loved Candid Camera! I still carry around memories of the episodes I saw, long ago. TV was in Black and White. No laws broken then. And, no laws broken now.

  16. …blog reaction to the arrest of James O’Keefe

    Free the Landrieu Four!

    …these boys were imprudent at worst. Being Republican conservatives, they did not absorb the libertarian lesson that public property isn’t. Different rules apply to the state than hoi polloi. How dare they enter the holy sanctuary of Landrieu without due obeisance? And, preferably, a suitcase of cash.

    My own view: since the feds can crowbar your money out of you, and use it to enter your house or office under false pretenses, to spy on you, listen to your phone calls, read your emails, go through your underwear drawer, etc. what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. So I say, Free the Landrieu Four and all other political prisoners!

  17. …blog reaction to the arrest of James O’Keefe

    Free the Landrieu Four!

    …these boys were imprudent at worst. Being Republican conservatives, they did not absorb the libertarian lesson that public property isn’t. Different rules apply to the state than hoi polloi. How dare they enter the holy sanctuary of Landrieu without due obeisance? And, preferably, a suitcase of cash.

    My own view: since the feds can crowbar your money out of you, and use it to enter your house or office under false pretenses, to spy on you, listen to your phone calls, read your emails, go through your underwear drawer, etc. what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. So I say, Free the Landrieu Four and all other political prisoners!

  18. Carol, one of my all-time favorites was when they loaded up a lane with ceramic bowling pins. The looks of the patrons’ faces as they watched their ball shatter the pins was great. Especially the fellow who quickly looked around, grabbed his jacket and bag and high-tailed it out.

  19. Carol, one of my all-time favorites was when they loaded up a lane with ceramic bowling pins. The looks of the patrons’ faces as they watched their ball shatter the pins was great. Especially the fellow who quickly looked around, grabbed his jacket and bag and high-tailed it out.

Comments are closed.