Ramesh, it is ridiculous to assert that Ashcroft somehow despises the First Amendment, but journalists love to confuse and conflate criticism of others’ speech (or more often, curtailment of journalistic access, as is presently a controversy with Ashcroft and print reporters) with hostility to free speech.

The Fleischer quote is again taken out of context, to the point that Noah suggests Ari killed “Politically Incorrect.” At least Noah links to the actual briefing, 15 days after the WTC/Pentagon attacks. I was there, and Ari was responding to conservative talk show host Les Kinsolving trying in his usual vein to get the President to attack liberals, Bill Maher in this case. Minutes earlier, reporters were pressing Ari (and Bush) to condemn the speech of Rep. John Cooksey, who had said airport screeners ought to search anyone “with a diaper on their head,” which upset many American Sikhs. Ari was attempting to link Cooksey and Maher as examples of people who should think before they say something stupid. But it gets promoted as the Government’s watching what you say, be very afraid…