Putz: For hypocrisy before he was against it!

Al Gore is a big fat hypocrite because he talks about global warming and lives in a big house.

So says Putz.

Moralists are especially vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy -- ask any backsliding fundamentalist preacher. If Gore were less moralistic in his approach -- as he gains weight, he's even starting to look a bit like a younger Jerry Falwell -- the charges of hypocrisy would have less bite. But is this the kind of defense he wants?

But Putz had a totally different attitude about hypocrisy and moralizing when he gave a glowing review to a book defending the likes of Bill Bennett from hypocrisy charges.

Gushed Putz:

IN THE MAIL: Jeremy Lott's new book, In Defense of Hypocrisy : Picking Sides in the War on Virtue.

I blurbed his book quite favorably, but the blurb doesn't really do it justice as it doesn't account for my delight in the excellent writing, which produces laugh-out-loud zingers on almost every page. I found it a really enjoyable book.

Apparently so.

"With verve, gusto, and just the right amount of humility, Jeremy Lott argues that hypocrisy isn't as bad as advertised, and that the critics of hypocrisy are often hypocritical themselves. A perfect read and a necessary corrective for this political season." --Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit.com

The lesson here, for those keeping score at home, is when Bill O'Reilly is accused of sexual harassment, or it comes out that Bill Bennett is a degenerate gambler, or that Rush Limbaugh is a doper -- these examples of hypocrisy aren't "as bad as advertised" and those accusing them of hypocrisy are hypocrites themselves.

But a phony story about Gore --- the kind of hypocrisy that's completely made up --- that's worthy of extensive condemnation and deliberation.

Unbelievable.

UPDATE

Putz is getting a lot of well-deserved hate mail over this, and responds:

WOW, lots of lefty email about the Al Gore story, charging lies, "swiftboating," and smears. Hmm. Is the story a lie? Well, there's this:

Kalee Kreider, a spokesperson for the Gores, did not dispute the Center's figures, taken as they were from public records.

"Swiftboating" seems to mean the disclosure of truths that are, er, inconvenient for Democrats. Likewise "smears."

"The story" is that a right wing political organization sent out a "press release" attacking Gore for having a large house which was picked up by Drudge and then the rest of the wingnut media, including Putz, who promptly pointed and shrieked at it.

"Al Gore is a fat hypocrite" isn't a story. It's a personal attack. It's a smear.

Putz was a big fan of the Swift Boat Liars so it's no surprise he equates that well-deserved term with "truth."