Beat the Cockburn

Although The Nation Alexander Cockburn is known for his extreme opinions, his “Year of the Prisoner” column was beyond the pale. (Note: You must have a Nation subscription to read the full article.) First, his suggestion that Democrats should accuse John McCain of collaborating with the North Vietnamese is politically suicidal. Doing so would open the Democratic Party to a deluge of condemnation for being unpatriotic. It is bad enough when the Republicans swift boat us; we do not need to do it to ourselves.

Second, his claims that nuclear weapons may be on the USS Jimmy Carter, despite international agreements to the contrary, are unsubstantiated. Aren’t journalistic accusations supposed to be supported by evidence, or has The Nation adopted the standards of Fox News?

Mr. Cockburn should look to the example of his brother Patrick and base his assertions on the facts on the ground. Until he does so, his column should be entitled “Out to Lunch.”