When Left meets Right

I awoke this morning, as usual, to the mellow sounds of reliably liberal Dirk Vann of the radio show "First Light". What caused my eyes to fly wide open was Mr. Vann's choice of guests this morning: Pat Buchanan.

Pat Buchanan!? The Pat Buchanan? The same Pat Buchanan who, in the opinion of many on the Left, is an irredeemable facist? The same Pat Buchanan who is almost always described by the adjectives "extremist" "right wing" and that ultimate leftist put-down, "hateful"? The same Pat Buchanan who many on the Left believe would have been a Gestapo agent had he been born in 1920's Germany? What on earth has Dirk Vann been drinking (or smoking)?

The mystery was explained when I heard what Pat had to say. In effect, he parroted the items John Kerry outlined in his major foreign policy speech yesterday; to wit, the war in Iraq is a massive failure, we are not safer, President Bush made a big mistake. To Pat's credit, he pointed out Kerry's flip-flop from his pre-war support, but for all practical purposes Buchanan and Kerry are now allies in the anti-war movement.

And that is why Pat has earned newfound respect from the Mainstream Media. For those on the right, any past transgressions can be forgiven if you oppose President Bush. Big Media will gladly extend absolution, at least during the campaign season, if you simply denounce the President and criticize the War on Iraq. This is not inconsistent if one understands that the election of John Kerry is the only item on the Media's agenda.

Politics does indeed make strange bedfellows. But at least Pat didn't forge any documents.