I was looking over Ace’s and I happen to notice that he linked over to Charles Johnson’s reasoning for supposedly parting ways with the right. I believe that it would be intellectually dishonest, if I did not point out the fact that; based upon all of the interviews that Johnson has given both pre and post association with the right, that Charles Johnson never was actually a bona fide Conservative. Charles Johnson was, in fact, a 9/11 liberal who, like many others got caught up in the fervor of patriotism and American Spirit that swept the Nation after the 9/11 attacks. This is because the 9/11 attacks where not attacks on liberals or conservatives, but rather attack on Americans in general.
The problem was and still is that the some of the more extreme elements within the Conservative movement imposed on his liberal sensibilities, Johnson simply could not handle it, and he left. Charles Johnson made the fatal mistake that many of the 9/11 liberals made; he put his money on a particular leader and when that leader disappointed him, he went back to the place where he felt most comfortable, the left. It would also be proper to mention that although he was raised a Catholic Johnson is an avowed atheist. Because of this, the Religious right offended his liberal sensibilities —- Thus the reason for Charles Johnson parting ways with the right.
So, while I can understand why some on the right would look to Johnson as a traitor and have sore feelings against the guy for walking away or for even possibly making alliances and walking away. One must realize that Charles Johnson never was “One of us” to begin with. Charles Johnson simply sided with the right, because the leadership at the time, in the Democratic Party was idiotic at best and Johnson saw this and sided with the leadership that he could trust. However, when that leadership did not perform to his liking and then the political winds shifted, Johnson retreated to his safe corner.
A interesting roundup of bloggers: Outside The Beltway, Right Wing Nut House, The Moderate Voice, minx.cc, Pam’s House Blend, Israel Matzav, Dennis the Peasant, The Strata-Sphere, At-Largely, Riehl World View, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, culturekitchen, Moonbattery, Jihad Watch, The Washington Independent, Julies Crittenden, The Jawa Report, Stop The ACLU, JammieWearingFool, Althouse, The Other McCain, Another Black Conservative, DaTechguy’s Blog, Michael Calderone’s Blog and Wake up America