Michael Massing for the New York Review of Books has quite an interesting piece on blogging – specifically focusing on left-leaning political bloggers. This obviously involve discussing Glenn Greenwald – and Massing seems to have a similar reaction to his work. Though I cite Greenwald favorably quite often – I also ridicule him probably more than any other writer – especially when I read him too often. (See for example, my piece entitled “Glenn Greenwald uses hyperbole the way other writers use punctuation;” or ” Greenwald’s rhetorical tics;” or “Psychoanalyzing Glenn Greenwald.”) Here’s Massing’s mixed review:
In so vigilantly watching over the press, Greenwald has performed an invaluable service. But his posts have a downside. Absorbing the full force of his arguments and dutifully following his corroborating links, I felt myself drawn into an ideological wind tunnel, with the relentless gusts of opinion and analysis gradually wearing me down. After reading his harsh denunciations of Obama’s decision not to release the latest batch of torture photos, I began to lose sight of the persuasive arguments that other commentators have made in support of the President’s position. As well-argued and provocative as I found many of Greenwald’s postings, they often seem oblivious to the practical considerations policymakers must contend with.
[Image by Cushing Memorial Library Archives, Texas A&M licensed under Creative Commons.]