Paul Krugman makes some good points, but his analysis of the pathetic state of American journalism doesn’t go far enough. Now that Mr. Bush is in a politically-weakened state, we can expect more journalists to be critical of him in ways none were prepared to do in previous years. This is not because any of them will have discovered a moral backbone or a semblance of journalistic integrity, but because of the president’s vulnerability. This is little more than a playing out of the social dynamics of the school playground: when the bully is strong, compliance and flattery prevail. When … Continue reading Questions of Character

Writes Paul Krugman, my favorite Keynesian economist, today in the NY Times: George W. Bush, I once wrote, “values loyalty above expertise” and may have “a preference for advisers whose personal fortunes are almost entirely bound up with his own.” And he likes to surround himself with “obsequious courtiers.” Lots of people are saying things like that these days. But those quotes are from a column published on Nov. 19, 2000. I don’t believe that I’m any better than the average person at judging other people’s character. I got it right because I said those things in the context of … Continue reading ‘Questions of Character’