Tim Blair tries to play “gotcha” by searching through LGF’s archives: CHANGE.

Here’s his post, which he doesn’t seem to feel needs any further explanation:

Then.

Now.

The problem with this kind of context-free smear job, Tim, is that you could just as easily have chosen this LGF post for your terse “Then” link: Run, Sammy, Run.

Thomas Friedman in today’s NY Times, writing about the Arab world’s sympathy for murderers like Osama Bin Laden…

Or this post: India on Center Stage.

Thomas Friedman suggests removing France from the United Nations Security Council and replacing them with India…

Or several other posts that link with approval to Friedman’s columns, all written right around the same time as your “Then” link.

But pointing out those posts wouldn’t help you in the “gotcha” game, would it? By checking the LGF search log, I can tell you must have seen those posts too — but you chose the one that would fit your agenda and ignored all the others.

The term for this dishonest tactic is “cherry-picking.”

Like many New York Times columnists, Thomas Friedman is often wrong in my opinion. And when I believe he’s wrong, I have no hesitation about criticizing him.

But in the real world, sometimes people are wrong — and sometimes they’re right. Friedman was on the money in his column calling out the fringe right wing for their increasingly crazy rhetoric, so why would I criticize him for it?

This kind of balanced assessment seems to be beyond Tim Blair these days (and beyond a lot of other right wing bloggers, for that matter), which is a real shame.

Also see:
Tim Blair Visits the Infirmary

UPDATE at 10/1/09 5:26:42 pm:

Tim has now updated his post with some more “Then - Now” links that show a truly heinous thing about me: I have an open mind and am willing to change it when I see convincing evidence.

Tim Blair seems to believe I was supposed to toe the right wing line on climate change forever. Now that I’ve invested the time and effort to educate myself on the issues and have changed my mind, I’m an unfaithful monkey who must be stoned.

It’s sad when brains become petrified.