My email box is now constantly overflowing with email from fans of Cole, Wolcott, Atrios etc. Nothing like waking up on a lovely Sunday morning to a steady stream of entirely unprintable expletives, deranged screams of “chickenhawk!” and more than a smattering of really astoundingly anti-Semitic tirades. It’s not all like that of course. Lots of people think Cole has made a fool of himself, which is still my view. One very illuminating element is that for all of Cole’s alleged scholarly brilliance, the people who take his side seem almost completely unconcered with the substance of any of this. It’s all personal insults. Then again, considering Cole’s original post, the fish rots from the head down.

Nonetheless, I don’t think anybody’s mind has really been changed. Those who thought Cole was a pompous poseur who lets his ego and childish anti-Bush ideology run the show (or who thought Wolcott is a preening sponge) still think that. Those who thought I’m a know-nothing war monger before this spat, still think it now. For the most part, folks who were introduced to me through him, agree with him and vice versa.

So, since I’ve got several deadlines and a Superbowl to contend with, I’ll probably take a break from all of this until at least tomorrow. But for you Cole or Atrios fans, if your testosterone levels have dropped too low and you think cursing at me some more will push them back into the safety zone, by all means keep doing it. Anything to help your self-esteem.