Life on the hamster wheel

Man, Juan Williams just can't catch a break. His new book, Muzzled: The Assault on Honest Debate, perfectly captures his dilemma. I listened as Diane Rehm interviewed him on NPR this morning and immediately thought, oh uh ... Whitewater Ahead! Needless to say, the reax was instantaneous.

Salon's Alex Pareene response was typical of the view from the left:

Boy, was getting fired from NPR the best thing that ever happened to mediocre commentator Juan Williams? The entire book he wrote on the subject of getting fired from NPR, "Milking It: The Juan Williams Story" (sorry, I meant "Muzzled: The Assault on Honest Debate") is out next week ... Juan Williams, who now works for Fox, where he is a professional "victim of the liberal media," says NPR is a "very elitist" and "white institution." Juan Williams, again, works for Fox News. The closest Fox News gets to a regular minority presence is brunettes. (And Geraldo, I guess.) It's the channel of aggrieved white people who think they don't count as "elites" because they don't ... listen to NPR.

Har har har -- clever, but not exactly unbiased journalism. Oh and just for the record, Pareene is a white dude who works for a liberal online magazine not known for its own writer diversity. You know, kinda like NPR. Williams is without question an independent-minded journalist. However, as an African American, he pays a higher price for it, unfortunately. For many in the Liberal Media Complex, it's like, whoa, how dare he harbor complicated views on some issues? You gotta problem with our Koolaid or somethin'? Personally, I celebrate Williams as a thoughtful author. He's one of the best. But I've always found him wanting as a political commentator. His views often struck me as two-dimensional. That makes him an easy target for the likes of Pareene. After Williams banks a few million from his gig at Fox News, I hope he gets off the punditry hamster wheel, refocuses his Eyes on the Prize, and returns to his métier: penning books.