Bill Kristol To Become New York Times Columnist In 2008

The Huffington Post has learned that, in a move bound to create controversy, the New York Times is set to announce that Bill Kristol will become a weekly columnist in 2008. Kristol, a prominent neo-conservative who recently departed Time magazine in what was reported as a "mutual" decision, has close ties to the White House and is a well-known proponent of the war in Iraq. Kristol also is a regular contributor to Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume.

Update: The New York Times has confirmed the decision to hire Kristol.

Comments

[bluesky49876]

Given this man's complicity in the death of hundreds of thousands of people and destruction of an entire nation, it is galling of the NYT to confer upon him this respectability. But realizing that the U.S. corporate media is not looking for respectability but right wing mouth pieces to pursue their corporate agenda, it is not surprising.

[guajiro]

A smidgen of Kristol's predictions:
"George W. Bush’s presidency will probably be a successful one.”
"On Sept. 18, 2002, he declared that a war in Iraq “could have terrifically good effects throughout the Middle East.” A day later, he said Saddam Hussein was “past the finish line” in developing nuclear weapons. On Feb. 20, 2003, he said of Saddam: “He’s got weapons of mass destruction…. Look, if we free the people of Iraq we will be respected in the Arab world.” On March 1, 2003 — 18 days before the invasion of Iraq — Kristol dismissed the possibility of sectarian conflict afterward. He also said, “Very few wars in American history were prepared better or more thoroughly than this one by this president.­” He maintained that the war would cost $100 billion to $200 billion. (The running tab is now about half a trillion dollars.) On March 5, 2003, Kristol said, “We’ll be vindicated when we discover the weapons of mass destructio­n.”

In the end, "He was not informing the public; he was whipping it. He turned his wishes into pronouncements and helped move the country to a mismanaged and misguided war that has claimed the lives of thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. That's not journalism­.".

Looking in the rear view mirror exposes Kristol as a propagandist. I can only surmise that those who gained from this war must in some way need Kristol to speak from a highly visible podium, the NYT, to protect their interests come the election of a democrat to the Presidency.

[Decider]

Finally the NYT gives a balanced voice. They've been the mouthpiece of the left for far too long.

Kristol may not be able to see into the future any farther than any of you. And yes, some of his predictions didn't pan out but that can be attributed to Rumsfeld's incompetence rather than Kristol's strategic vision.

Kristol is a visionary that deserves to have a platform for Americans to hear him and decide for themselves.

You whiney-ass libs act like Bill Kristol personally put a ring in every American's nose and forced the entire country to march to War. You must think he's some kind of wizard.

[Bluedanube]

After Jason Blair, William Safire, Judith Miller, David Brooks, Thomas Friedman the NYTimes hiring of William Krystal proves that the NYT has finally jumped the shark.

[joja]

Guess this means that Barbara & George H. W. will be taking out a subscription to the NYT.

Oh, wait a minute. Reading in soooo liberal and subversive! Forget that idea!

[raker]

Brilliant. Drive away loyal NY Times devotees while fishing for extra-chromosomers, who will never turn to the Times no matter how many odious columnists it hires. Putting Judith Miller on the front page to sell the invasion of Iraq didn't give the Times NASCAR cred, and Kristol won't either. It will only hasten its demise.

[Richard729]

Hiring Bill Kristol by the NYTimes should come as no surprise considering the way the mainstream media have surrendered to the Bush administration's policies. With a major election coming up in less than a year we have seen the Republican propaganda machine inexorably worm their way into every major media outlet.

When Bush named Kevin Martin to head the FCC the Republican media takeover plan is solidly in place. With little or no opposition from the Democrats media giants can now consolidate their monopoly in controlling what news is allowed for public digestion.

They now have a green light to own entire TV, radio and newsprint in major metropolitan areas, key elements in the Republicans' strategy to win the presidency and even take back both houses of congress.

Rupert Murdoch is now the owner of the Wall Street Journal and he is close to finalizing the deal that will allow him to own the controlling interest of the WSJ parent company, Dow Jones.

Newsweek magazine owners fortified their Republican-friendly editorial staff by hiring on one of the most inflammatory, incendiary propagandists, Karl Rove, who undoubtedly will play a major role in Newsweek's influence with his dirty tricks in this well planned out effort by Republicans to gain dominance in 2008.

The New York Times, not to be outdone, proved much earlier that they were more than willing to be shills for Bush's disastrous Iraq War when they fed the public a steady diet of misleading news stories penned by Judith Miller. Miller aided and abetted the Bush propaganda by promoting the false claim that Iraq possessed W.M.D..

The transparency by the mainstream media to continue exalting the military industrial complex that Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against is proof positive that the Republicans have gotten all their ducks in order while Democrats and their pathetically impotent leaders, Nancy Pelosi and Harry "Walter Mitty" Reid, twiddle their thumbs. Once the Fourth Estate was a beacon of truth and a watchdog over politicians who abuse their power. What happened?

[robodweeb]

John McLaughlin named Karl Rove as the Most Overrated for the past year.

Kristol must have come in second.

Rudy's new ad... he leaves out the noun and the verb.

How much more blood can he suck out of 9/11?

[wild1a]

The more exposure the public is given to the neoconservative ideas, goals and thought process, as exemplified by Bill Kristol, the better off we all are. His columns will be reveal what neocon thinking is all about. Skeptics who believe we liberals overemphasize the danger of the relentless path to disaster the Republicans are determined to follow in the Middle East will see first hand evidence of their mind set, as exemplified by the content of his columns. The more the public is aware of neocon ideology the better chance of waking them up.

[Bobby]

Bloody Bill is like Nostradamus with all his predictions, except for one thing...he and his neocon liars are ALWAYS wrong. But does the NY Times care? They didn't seem to care when Judith Miller spewed all of her bullshit in the lead up to the war in Iraq. The MSM is a joke. But this is nothing new. It's been like this for decades. Google up Operation Mockingbir­d...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mockingbird

It was a plan when the CIA use to plant operatives in the press to promote the CIA's neocon agenda. Sound familiar?

[FilipeCastro]

Wow. Maybe now he can explain to us that part of the Iraquis kissing our troops and giving them candy, and the price of oil going down, and the end of history. He was so sure!

[ama nesciri]

First I tought it a joke.
Now it's just a sad story.
The New York Times threatens to morph into the World Wrestling Federation Entertainment.

On three: Slam, posture, strut, badger, over-the-top, next stop invade Vermont!

Welcome to the game, Mister Smiling Con!

[CompassionateLiberal]

Just one more reason not to read the NYT!!

[HurryUp1212009]

HIS
NEW
COLUMN
WILL
BE
ENTITLED
"THE WRONG WAY"

[davy]

Smug rules America.