Eric Alterman on Martin Peretz

Marty, on the other hand, has written no books, and owes his fame entirely to his second wife's fortune, which has allowed him to destroy much (but not all) of what's valuable in America's most important liberal magazine, but with a little bit left over for Scooter Libby's defense fund. What kind of person mocks another person in a public forum for having one of his 24 books discounted when he's never written one? My guess is one who doesn't have any real friends at all ... Friends don't let friends make total and complete idiots of themselves, every day, day after day after day after day after day ...

A fair, if sympathetic, portrait, I'd say.

Peretz's latest abomination is his charming claim that everyone who he disagrees with is an anti-semite ... even those who are Jewish. So far, it seems the Wedding Singer has limited this critique to those who disagree with his conception of Israel, but those who challenge Marty to a stare-down over a parking space should be prepared to defend themselves against similar charges.