I've just sent this letter to the National Review Online. I await a response.
Dear National Review Online,
In his February 2 essay, "The Seventh Level: Americans Appeasing Evil," Michael Ledeen accuses three members of Congress of treason and worse for their attempts to improve relations with Iran. He refers to Dante's Inferno, and the torment awaiting people who commit such crimes. He concludes as follows:
"It would be nice to think that they will be held accountable for their acts of appeasement — Ney and Specter are up for reelection — but the odds are that justice will be delayed until their final judgment.
Faster, please."
While political disagreements are one thing, I find it a bit alarming that you would publish a column expressing hope for the speedy death (and eternal torment) of three American congressmen. But I see no other way to read this column other than as a call for the death of Joe Biden, Arlen Specter, and Bob Ney. Such a column in the Arab press would be denounced - correctly - as incitement to murder and as sympathy with terrorism.
I would hope that Mr. Ledeen might see fit to apologize to the three members of Congress. I also hope that the editors of the National Review would express their repudiation of these violent sentiments.
Sincerely,
Abu Aardvark
Tigress expresses gratitude to Aardvark.
I remember seeing Michel Ledeen for the first time on CNN during the early Reagan years, in the days when self-styled experts on terrorism were cropping up all over. Seem to recall that he was a particularly nasty and snarling Netanyahu groupie.
He's going from calling for targeted assassination of ayatollahs to summoning the Grim Reaper and pitchfork-wielding demons on his own compatriots. Nice chap, eh?
Posted by: paper_tigress | February 03, 2004 at 09:12 PM