Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Ramesh Is No One's "Apologist"   [Andy McCarthy]

I've gotten a lot of mail about the spirited exchange between Ramesh and me last week over Giuliani, McCain and abortion.  On lots of reflection, I think Ramesh was right to object to my use, in a fit of pique, of the word "apologist."  That was a dumb way to put the point I was trying to make. 

I've just reread Ramesh's NR cover article on Sen. McCain.  It's fair, I think, to say that it's written from the point of view of someone who is friendly to the Senator.  More importantly, though, it's also fair to say that it's fair.  My sense for several years has been that I'd never support McCain.  I still feel that way, but Ramesh's article convinced me both that it was worth at least re-examining why I feel that way and that McCain is superior to the Democrats currently in the field. 

Anyway, I've never known Ramesh to do anything other than call it the way he sees it, and he can be depended on to see it more insightfully than the rest of us.  Being fair doesn't mean you can't marshal the facts in a way that's most appealing for one cause, as I think Ramesh does for McCain.  But an apologist is often willing to twist or avoid facts, and that ain't Ramesh — not by a mile.  So I wish I'd counted to 10 and used a better word, and I'm sorry I didn't.

04/10 08:42 PMShare