LTE: Nailed those clichés

I read Cragg Hines' farewell column with mixed emotions [see his July 29 Outlook column, "It's so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good night"]. On the one hand, his writing was the most partisan, one-dimensional of all political writing. On the other hand, I could count on his predictably left-leaning and partisan rants as a reliable source of entertainment. Blindfold him, spin him around, then turn him loose, and he would nail the piñata of liberal cliché every time.

In reading his last column, it was instructive that he reflected fondly on his career as a reporter, a job he relished for 28 years. Many thanks for his confirming from a personal perspective what everybody with an ounce of sense deduced: the overwhelming liberal bias of newspapers.

As a columnist, his breathtaking lack of perspective, his inability to acknowledge anything good about conservative beliefs and his incredible moral certainty were a source of wonder over the years.
And I give thanks for the last hearty belly laugh, when he proclaimed that he "took no joy in castigating George W. all those years, despite what a lot of readers firmly believe." The fact that he acknowledged an opinion to the contrary means there's hope for him yet, even as he rides off into the sunset and a well-deserved obscurity.

PETE SMITH
Cypress

http://www.chron.com/default/article/Letters-Cragg-Hines-retirement-1822653.php