Case Closed

Verum Serum defines a new conspiracy theory. Actually, it's an old one (the Clintons were early proponents); but it has become such an article of faith among progressives that it deserves wider exposure, if not ridicule: "Foxer" Conspiracy Theorists Hit The Big Time

There are “birthers” who believe the President is not a citizen and, in the other party, “truthers” who believe President Bush was complicit in the 9/11 attacks. Little noticed until now are another group of conspiracy theorists, let’s call themFoxers, who believe that the top cable news channel is playing America like a Stradivarius for dark, conservative purposes.

Until recently, the Foxers were relegated to the far left, i.e. groups like Brave New Films and Media Matters. But ever since the White House declared war on Fox this summer and tried to cut them out of the press pool, Foxers have been coming out of the woodwork. I guess once the President outs himself as a believer, the stigma that usually attends to conspiracy theories like this is gone.

VS then goes on in some detail. You should read the whole thing; and, yes, I am jealous that I didn't think of this myself.

For me, the ultimate example of the Foxer mindset came during the Richard Clarke portion of the 9/11 Commission hearings. Clarke, who had just published a book, was expected to provide highly critical, if not damning testimony against the Bush Administration. Dems salivated at the prospect, as it was the summer before the 2004 election. Only one problem: Jim Angle dug up a tape of a "background" briefing that Clarke had done where he had praised Bush to the skies for his attentiveness and seriousness to the terrorism issue. Big laffs! Bob Kerry - who was part of the 9/11 Commission - actually chastised Fox News from his post at the committee table! Here, they had gone through all of this trouble to prep a witness to provide the backbone of the "Blame Bush" story-line, and Fox had to screw it up by reporting that Clarke was a glory-seeking phony.

Fox has a perspective and orientation. So do the other networks. But, Fox doesn't go through the tired rigmarole of pretending to objectivity as at the other networks. Also, Fox is much more entertaining. It's reporters are better looking. Its analysts are more quick witted. And, its stories about political debate largely avoid the other networks' tendency to focus on procedural minutiae and horse race analysis. Yes, it is a conspiracy - of success.