from The New Ledger
The Case of Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer
Want to gain respect and credibility in writing about Israel and the Middle East? Make it clear–crystal clear–that you will have nothing to do with the crazies who use your arguments to propagate their own racist rantings. If you say “oh, it goes without saying that I am not a racist, and don’t believe what the racists say,” and think that this will be enough, well, get ready to find out that it won’t be enough. If all of this is too much work for your fragile, little self, stop blogging about the Middle East. The subject should either get responsible commentary from a particular observer, or should get none; no commentary at all is preferable to irresponsible commentary that becomes indistinguishable from, and has the effect of rabble-rousing.
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