Make Howie Cry

Cowboy fetishist Howard "the Duck" Fineman wants you (and me) to stop saying personal and nasty things about him. Today's New York Times quotes the wimpy slime as follows:

"Most of us now realize that this is a constant conversation, and I think that largely that part of it is good," said Howard Fineman, chief political correspondent for Newsweek. "Some of the stuff includes very personal and nasty things about people - they go after people's physical characteristics, they'll say somebody's ugly - and you just have to ignore that."

Still, he said, "I would be lying if I didn't say it could be hurtful."

No, Howard, you are withholding your opinion if you don't say something. You would be lying if you repeated your pro-Bush reporting.

My general policy is not to comment on physical appearance or personal matters unless the target engages in such tactics (such as Kaus), the matter is relevant (hypocrisy) or particularly funny (e.g., toupees). But I would be lying if I said I consistently followed that policy.