When The Ringleader Gets Tired of the Circus...

Little Green Footballs author Charles Johnson has becoming quite the celebrity (again) now that he's taking on the European and American anti-legal immigration on their bigoted views on Islam. He's also going after people like Ron Paul and going to lengths to dispute various internet rumors about President Obama's actions or non-actions. While I think its commendable that Charles is taking on the more intellectually loose of the right, I don't think he should be suddenly the new reasoned, anti-populist right-winger some have made him. After 9/11, LGF was a hotbed of bigoted anti-Islam comments, in no small part encouraged by Charles' more rhetoric laden posts on terrorism. While I have no knowledge if he actually entered the sewer of bigotry, he sure as hell didn't try to stem it.

There's also the fact that it seems his blog has changed gears and is more towards tearing apart the fringes of conservatism (with his new found hated status by said fringe being front and center) than the core of liberalism, which I think is so much more fun to attack.

Donald Douglas at American Power has noticed the same thing.

Kudos to Stubborn Facts for this post.

UPDATE: Donald on LGF's attacks on the anti-jihadis:

I don't know Charles Johnson, but I'm friends with all the other parties to this debate. I communicate with Pamela Geller by e-mail every few days. Robert Stacy McCain is the coolest "blogfather" out there, and we talk by telephone in addition to e-mailing. And I've been friends with Michael van der Galien for a couple of years now, sharing blog posts and what not.

Pamela is passionate and vigilant in what she does, but to attack her as "fascist" is beyond the pale. I know fascists. I've been attacked by fascists. I've repudiated fascists. Pamela is no fascist. She points out that Michael van der Galien is a convert to Islam, however, which might explain why he's so quick to choose up sides (see, a bit on Michael's views at "'Pure Islam' and Michael van der Galien").

Now, to be clear: I'm not out to ruffle feathers, and not Charles Johnson's by any means. But sometimes you have to take a stand: I think Michael's wrong on this one: Little Green Footballs gives aid and comfort to the enemies of conservatism, or as The Educated Shoprat notes at this post, "He's done an Andrew Sullivan. No other way to put it."