Two days ago, William M. Arkin, the Washington Post‘s national and homeland security blogger, wrote a column that accused American troops of being ingrates, mercenaries, rapists, murders, and just about every other nasty thing he could think of, all because a few soldiers told NBC News that the American people weren’t supporting them if they weren’t supporting their mission. The original post set off an absolute firestorm in the blogosphere, which was surely the intent of the author–he couldn’t have written a more provocative column. Now Arkin has dug his heels in with a follow-on post. You really have to read Arkin’s stuff to believe it. Pathetically, he plays the victim card.
No he’s never written that. He’s written something far more insulting: that the troops should be grateful they’re not being called baby killers. So add Arkin to the list of thin-skinned provocateurs who think that the “right to say what we believe” means that the targets in your rhetorical gunsights don’t have an equal right to fire back. Here is what stirred Arkin’s ill-tempered critics:
The left has tried desperately to portray itself as pro-military. It was a heroic effort, but it was finally too much for William Arkin, who has let us know how at least some on the anti-war left really feel, and it’s not a pretty sight.
