The Greatness of Barack Obama and the Madness of Andrew Sullivan (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Andrew Sullivan, writing for Newsweek, has produced one of the most fascinating and outrageous examples of rhetorical gymnastics in modern journalism. The title of the piece is "How Obama's Long Game Will Outsmart His Critics."

The thrust of the article is that President Barack Obama, far from being an abysmal failure who has fostered socialism at home and appeasement abroad, is a stunning success who, in the long run, will be regarded as a great president.

In the middle of economic malaise, exploding debt, turmoil in the Middle East and an administration that seems to regard the Constitution as a series of helpful suggestions, Sullivan's task of rehabilitating Obama is a daunting one. But he sets about it with a will.

For example, he lists the $900 billion stimulus as an accomplishment, even though it stimulated nothing except for debt and the size of government. He points out Obama has not, strictly speaking, raised taxes. He does not mention it was not for the want of trying. He claims Obamacare is "moderate." And Sullivan mentions Obama had Osama bin Laden killed, something the president never tires of pointing out, as if he personally pulled the trigger and the Navy SEALs were just bit actors in the drama starring Mr. Hope and Change.

How does Sullivan come to this remarkable idea of Obama's greatness? Partly he answers the question in his own article, in which he points out he has been an unabashed supporter of the man since 2007. He claims he does this as a conservative, but that is about as believable as all of the other claims in his piece.

Further casting doubt on Sullivan's credibility is his obsession with Sarah Palin's womb. Sullivan has been one of the leading proponents of something called "Trig Trutherism," which suggests Palin is not the mother of Trig Palin, her special needs younger son. To be sure, like other conspiracy theorists, Sullivan poses as someone who is "just asking questions." Just like people who believe Obama was born in Kenya or that 9/11 was an inside job or that man never landed on the moon.

Ordinarily someone who believes things like that wouldn't be given the time of day, not to speak of a cover story in a once major news magazine. But sadly that is not the case any longer.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120116/cm_ac/10841443_the_greatness_of_barack_obama_and_the_madness_of_andrew_sullivan

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