Kudos to Hinkle

In spite of how much cynical players and copycat wannabes in the world of politics would like you to believe otherwise, just because one has opinions doesn't mean he or she can't be fair. Moreover, to be a "partisan" doesn't mean one is inherently dishonest.

Truth be told, some of the most dishonest/unfair people I've ever known tried to appear to be without partisan interests or strong opinions ... when they could.

Bart Hinkle does a fine job of showing his ability to occasionally bite the conservative/Republican hand that feeds him in his Tuesday column in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. This one piece hardly means Hinkle has changed his conservative/Libertarian spots. However, it does mean he is capable of noticing and discussing inconsistencies and hypocrisies in politics without having to see them through a partisan prism.

...Under the November 1995 Dayton Accords, American forces sent to implement the peace agreement were slated to return home by Christmas 1996. Then their mission became one of "stabilization," and the withdrawal date was extended 18 months, and then American servicemen wound up stuck in the Balkans for years.

The right went ballistic.

"The thing I worry about is how we . . . get out. What is the strategy here for disengaging? What is going to happen a year from now that will allow our withdrawal without reigniting the civil war? What is going to take our place once we pull out? I do not yet have confidence that we have solved that problem."

Those words, spoken in May of 1996, came out of the mouth of Dick Cheney.

Click here to read Hinkle's "If Conservatives Aren't Embarrassed, They Should Be." Kudos to the writer for stylishly reminding us that most of the time playing team-ball is best avoided by legitimate professional columnists.

In writing about politics, team-ball is usually better left to the hired hand spin doctors, who are paid the big bucks to be blind to their team's faults and spit out slogans. And, of course, the bleating bloggers on whichever side of the proverbial aisle, who imagine themselves to be spin interns.