2005 Smacky

Congratulations to Claudia Rosett, winner of the 2005 Golden Contaminated Needle, otherwise known as the Smacky. The Smacky is named in honor of expired junkie Eric Breindel, and is supposed to have something to do with excellence in journalism, even though Breindel was never anything more than a Murdoch stooge with a grating, whiny voice.

Rosett, the journalist in residence at The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, has 23 years of experience writing on international affairs for such outlets as The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic and The Weekly Standard.

In accepting the plaque and a $10,000 award, she said Breindel "wrote with clarity and passion for the most vital element of a free society -- the truth."

What a guy. If he was a live today, no doubt he'd be importing reporting from Afghanistan.

P.S. The New York Post now has registration, and it's not worth the time and effort. Kind of like a Breindel column.