I don't know how this whole right-wing blogging thing is going to work out. I see Ben Domenech got run out of the Washington Post pretty quick. So much for my second career ambitions. Apparently the tectonic shift involved in giving a conservative a voice tore a giant hole in the force.

Now, let it be said, if this kid really is a serial plagiariser, he should be gone. As far as I can tell, there is definite smoke in that regard.

But what is striking to me about this episode is the extreme virulence of the reaction from the left to the simple fact that a conservative got a column. They freaked out like a bunch of French students afraid of losing their guaranteed jobs. Which, in a way, is what they are.

Apparently, there's something of a well-worn career path of pundits rising from the ranks of the liberal advocacy media, or the Democratic party. Look at Russert on NBC and Cris Matthews on MSNBC, just to name two.

Imagine the outrage over a conservative blogger, who worked for the Bush Administration. I mean, with both houses of Congress and the White House in the hands of conservatives, that's just way too out of the mainstream, right?

Anyway, it's disappointing. One would think that if the left had a lot of confidence in their positions they would welcome debate, and not try to shout it down.