I see Glenn “I’m a tax-supported professor with time on my hands” Reynolds — does that guy ever teach any classes? — is sliming Tom Woods’ best-selling book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History, without — of course — having actually read it. Now, I haven’t read it yet, either — but based on Reynolds’ attempted smear, and the other smears he cites (from the evil Claremont Institute and some lawyer, natch) it looks like my kind of book.
Reynolds points to what he describes as “Wood’s belief that the War on Terror is the product of a Jewish conspiracy” — but where is the evidence for this alleged “belief”? In this summary of Dr. Woods’ view of foreign policy as recounted by one Eric Muller, another law professor with plenty of time on his hands:
“A commitment to ‘the unvarnished truth’ would also presumably include Dr. Woods’ description of current American foreign policy as ‘war after war against the enemies of Israel, at American expense.’
“It would also include Dr. Woods’ belief that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was planning to ‘use the distraction of [an American] war with Iraq … [as] an opportunity to carry out the ethnic cleansing of the two million Palestinian Arabs living in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.'”
I would have included the links Muller provides to back up the quotes, but none of them work. Typical. But even more typical is the fact that none of these quotes mention a “Jewish conspiracy” nor is the word “Jew” or “Jewish” used or even implied. This is slander, pure and simple. Again — par for the course for Reynolds and his slimy ilk.
Conservatives of the “neo” variety are so eager to destroy “political correctness” — except when it comes to their favored hobby-horses. If you criticize Israel — sheesh, if you even look cross-eyed at Ariel Sharon — you’re the moral equivalent of Hitler. What a load of crap.
And that’s how the Bizarro Reynolds Seal of Disapproval works — if an intellectually lazy simpleton who’s just a sounding board for his fellow simpletons disapproves, it has to be good.
UPDATE: Here‘s a good review of the book by Anthony Gregory — somebody who, unlike Glenn “I take my opinions second-hand” Reynolds, has actually read it.