Cut Kristol: As Era Ends at New York Times, Some of Bill's Greatest Bloopers

As you surely know by now, Bill Kristol wrote his final column today for the New York Times, sparing the paper any further embarrassment. But, as usual, he did not spare us all a good belly laugh: The news of his demise came in a brief tagline at the end of a column that, amazingly, opened, "All good things must come to end." It's about the alleged end of a golden conservative era.

A fitting end for a column that often made The Times read like The Onion.

Let's recall some of the highlights of his one-year (plus two weeks) reign, as chronicled in my new book "Why Obama Won":

-- His very first column earned a correction, when he misattributed a Michael Medved quote to Michelle Malkin.

-- Several other corrections followed, and his track record as a pundit was so poor it drove Jon Stewart to often ask, "Oh, Bill Kristol, aren't you ever right?"

-- Who can forget when he told Stewart he was getting wrong information because he was relying too much on... the New York Times. Stewart replied: "But you work for the New York Times, Bill!"

-- He touted, of all people, Clarence Thomas as a GOP vice-presidential candidate. Or, as the sage wrote of McCain, "He could persuade the most impressive conservative in American public life, Clarence Thomas, to join the ticket."

-- Later, smitten with Sarah Palin in a brief cruise stopover in Alaska, he pushed her for Veep, publicly and privately. Then he lobbied for McCain to let Palin be Palin, or as he urged: "Hockey Mom Knows Best." So we have Kristol partly to thank for McCain's single worst blunder and a real game-changer (though not as he intended) in the fall campaign.

So, for the laughs and for a new president, a tip of our cap to you, Mr. Kristol! Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

UPDATE: Kristol will write a monthly column for Washington Pos. Opinion editor Fred Haitt, not surprisingly, comments of Kristol's work at the NYT: "I thought he wrote a good column." New York Times in article claims the decision to cut Kristol was "mutual." Right.

Greg Mitchell's newly published "Why Obama Won" is the first "progressive" book on the 2008 race and why political campaigning will never be the same in the U.S. He is editor of Editor & Publisher.

Comments

[rekky]

The last thing that I would call Bill is a conservative. When it was a choice between a true conservative position and a Republican position, he would always favor the Republican position.

[RepugsOut08]

I remember Bill Maher reporting in his "New Rules" segment, that Bill Kristol was advocating an invasion of Iran last year.
According to Maher, Kristol was using the same idiotic, "The Iranians will throw flowers at our feet." argument that he and the neo-cons used in the runup to the Iraq invasion.
Maher advised "Nostradamus" to please stop offering us his crackpot predictions.

[shadow322]

Just as Kristol's parting words includes "end of a golden conservative era", he has shown again he lacks the insight and honesty this country so desperatly needs right now. He has become such a propaganda spreading tool for the far right that he often leaves his audience looking for the anticipated punch line at the end. His was never true journalism or reporting - just another mouth piece for the far right. Sorry Bill - you've "Rush -ed" things too much to leave with dignity.

[Pinkie e]

This is great for the NYT...because what they really want is for every coloumnist to be a left wing loon anyway ! And why should we even care ??? Soon they'll be out of buisiness unless they can get another (stay alive for another month loan) at 14 percent like the last one..geeeeee will I miss them! The (NYT) has about as much newsworthy creditbility as Rush Limbaugh.

[DennyCrane]

The NYT was a joke long before Bill Kristol. Jayson Blair and Judy Miller made so many of us lose all respect for that paper.

[jdevans]

Bill Kristol was "Dan Quayle's brain", which kinda says it all...

[Ira7]

On TV, I could never get past that smirky, obnoxious smile to pay attention to what he was actually saying. It's like trying to pay attention to someone in a conversation when he has a booger hanging out of his nose.

[nopassingonright]

Dump Friedman and Dowd and the Times will be on the road to recovery.

[endbush]

I thought his column today was one of the worst ever. Like he stayed up all night to make his last day last longer (from midnight to midnight), and did a sloppier than usual job to give the audience a raspberry.

[Gunga-Din]

I was a good decision from the mexican newspaper

[realpolitic]

Kristol did one thing right in recommending Palin to be run alongside McCain. Once McCain chose Palin, his campaign was never taken seriously. It was all "lipstick on a pig"-type commentary.

[Caton]

WAPO can have him. I don't care. I'm a long-time subscriber to the Times. It's like a marriage, and we have had some bad times. But allowing that s*it stain on the op-ed page, that nearly did us in.

[YeahDonkey]

DON'T GO BILL, Watching Bill Kristol or reading Bill Kristol is like watching Jerry Springer, first your shocked that there is someone out there who is that dumb, then you feel better about yourself, because you aren't Bill Kristol.

[pir anha]

chronikcle -> chronicle
msot -> most

an ellipsis consists of 3 "...".

i know it's just a blog, but come on, at least run a spellchecker. :)

don't i have anything else to say? "good riddance to bad rubbish". so tired of kristol, and hoping i'll now hear less about him.

[goatboyslim]

I remember how one of the wire services used to, at the beginning of each year, look back at the predictions made at the beginning of the previous year by such people as Jeanne Dixon, and Criswell. Needless to say, it was hilarious, although it never seemed to have any effect on their careers . I wish some major public voice would do the same thing for pundits like Kristol and Friedman. Of course. it's the major public voices-like the NY Times- that give these fools a platform.