To fully appreciate this, first read Keller’s defense of the piece at the Times. It’s not that McCain actually did behave inappropriately, it’s that he appeared to have behaved inappropriately — a fatal contradiction, it seems, for a man concerned about appearances of impropriety and therefore ample justification for reprinting anonymous staffers’ innuendo. Or, as Jeff Goldstein might say, because of the hypocrisy!

Enjoy this, though:

I was surprised by how lopsided the opinion was against our decision, with readers who described themselves as independents and Democrats joining Republicans in defending Mr. McCain from what they saw as a cheap shot.

Exit invitation: Pay some attention to this and we’ll call it even. It’s purely circumstantial but that’s right up the Times’s alley these days, it seems. Click the image to watch.