Palin, Sullivan (AP/Newsweek)
Like many conservatives, Sarah Palin is up in arms over this week's controversy-baiting Newsweek cover story by Andrew Sullivan, who asks, "Why Are Obama's Critics So Dumb?" Unlike many conservatives, Palin's beef with Sullivan is personal.
"Know what's truly 'dumb'?" Palin wrote in a Twitter message to Newsweek. "Giving a cover story to the Trig Truther conspiracy kook writer who thinks I didn't give birth to my son."
The former Alaskan governor and vice presidential candidate is referring to the birther-like conspiracy theory--fueled by Sullivan and others--that she is not Trig Palin's real mother, and that Palin "faked the pregnancy to avoid embarrassment for her daughter [Bristol] or for political gain or some combination of reasons."
Sullivan's response?
I have no idea, as I have said time and time again, whether Sarah Palin gave birth to Trig, and have never written such a thing. All I ever asked for a person who could become president was some basic evidence for her insane story, like medical records that most candidates have no problem providing. She never provided any, and preferred to withdraw from seeking public office rather than do so. Of course, no response to the substance. She doesn't do substance. Neither, it seems, does much of the rightwing blogosphere.
The cover story drew the ire of conservative bloggers in particular. Joel Pollak wrote what amounts to the official conservative blogger response on Andrew Breitbart's Big Government in post entitled, "Why Is Andrew Sullivan So Dumb?"
"You'd have to be stupid, fanatical, and dishonest to argue—as Trig Truther Sullivan does—that Barack Obama's failures are part of an ingenious 'long game' that is destined to succeed," Pollak wrote. "If this is the best Obama's supporters can do, Obama's only hope for re-election is the weak Republican field."
During a Fox News segment on Sullivan's article on Monday, the network blurred out Sullivan's name when showing the Newsweek cover.
"They are far too afraid to have me on to defend it," Sullivan wrote. "I've been on the blacklist for years. Like Ron Paul, too dangerous for Fox."
Other popular Yahoo! News stories:
• Lunch with Piers Morgan, who hopes to be more like Bill O'Reilly this year
• Ron Paul continues assault on the media
• Tim Tebow sets Twitter, TV records