What the Hell is Wrong with... David Brooks?

It has been a long time since I have had a "What the Hell is Wrong with...?" installment (I think Nick Kristof was the last), but I figure now is as good a time as any given what Bobo has defecated onto his column real estate and served up to us today.

I certainly realize that most anything that Brooks writes is worthy of a WtHiWw...? post, but this one just keeps on making me more and more ticked off... a sort of time-release DHP.

My anger resides on two levels: first, the very fact that he is complaining at all. Brooks tries to make you forget about this by joking about it in plain daylight:

Since I wasn't among those who were taken care of, I find that statement morally offensive.

But this is just a cover... you can be damn certain that had he ended up sitting next to Newt or Karl in the luminary section, he wouldn't have said a peep. And I have little doubt that Brooks, poor little insignificant journalist that he is (we should feel sorry for him!), often gets "taken car of" at various other establishments... perhaps not at the 5 star restaurants, but maybe at some 4 stars that he frequents or other such joints.

The second level is that he is completely dishonest in at whom he decides to focus his frustration (if you can really describe it as "focus"): a bipartisan selection of DC insiders and politicians. However, Brooks (no insider he!) doesn't even bother to gloss over the issue of who has their hands firmly on the reins of this oligarchy, preferring to instead completely ignore that the Republicans with who he identifies are the major drivers in promoting this culture and increasing the divide between "us" and "them." Sure, there are more than a few Dems in various positions who get perks, but the right is in the business of lavishing favors to the powerful and receiving in kind. Furthermore, there are more than a few examples of how they are not only trying to keep the lay person from the goody bag, but also powerful Democrats (example: DeLay's crack down on lobbyists working for left-leaning firms and organizations).

No, Brooks just seems to feel content in stomping on any intellectual honesty and credibility he might have left in order to try to establish his Bobo bona-fides as an average Joe who has nothing to do with this unjust DC culture.

What a rube.