Defining “Honesty” Down Out of Existence

Kaus’s attempt to defend Breitbart is indeed a classic example of how speculation about motives is usually not a very productive way of proceeding. Breitbart’s reckless disregard for the truth is so pervasive that it’s hard to believe that his disgusting smear of Shirley Sherrod was done in good faith. But, for all I know, Breitbart may well have convinced himself that he had a “legit point.” The more important issue is that it doesn’t really matter. Breitbart’s smear of Shirley Sherrod was dishonest, and whether the smear was willful or just a result of not properly finding out what the facts are is beside the point. She lost her job either way.