There’s always a certain level of hypocrisy in politics. When you’re in the majority, the filibuster is an obstructive, anti-democratic abomination. When you’re in the minority, it’s an important bulwark against mob rule.
But have we ever seen anything like the recent lovefest among conservatives for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange? “Julian, I apologize,” cooed Sarah Palin. Sean Hannity poses the question of the day: “Who do you believe? Julian Assange or President Obama and Hillary Clinton.” Donald Trump approvingly passed along Assange’s contention that “a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta”1 and then asked, “why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info!”
So far, this sudden outpouring of affection for Assange hasn’t gone beyond the inner circle of Trump sycophants. But it might not be long before it does. If a third of Republicans can decide they think Vladimir Putin is a great guy as long as he’s anti-Clinton, why not Julian Assange too?
1Just for the record: yes, a 14-year-old could have hacked Podesta. But in fact, a 14-year-old didn’t hack Podesta. Here’s the story.
Ben Stevens/i-Images via ZUMA
