"AH-HA!"

Ellen Goodman in the Boston Globe thinks she has her, “Ah-ha!” against those peskiest of all conservatives – bloggers. She has written a column titled “Bloggers owe Carroll an apology” about how evil bloggers called Jill Carroll a “Commie-pinko rhymes-with-witch” (well, maybe Ellen didn't use those exact words).

“The printouts on my desk describe the 28-year-old journalist, a hostage and victim for 82 terrifying days, as something between Patty Hearst and Baghdad Jane, between a traitor and ''Princess Jill." TBone posted a potshot, calling Carroll ''a liar" and the kidnapping ''a total scam." PA Pundits said that ''I still just can't get past her being (for the most part) unharmed." And Debbie Schlussel called her a ''spoiled brat America-hater."

Well, I know of one who apologized. I checked Powerline and they never really said too much about her. I’m not sure I have the “TBone” Ellen refers to, but here he is casting doubts on her kidnapping, not without merit mind you, so he may be the one calling Jill a “liar”. Of course, the part that Ellen I’m sure just mistakenly left out is the last paragraph of the post,

“I apologize profusely in advance if I'm wrong. I'm not convinced this is the case, but merely want to offer it as a possibility. I would hate to see Jill Carroll hurt in any way regardless of her motivations. I hope I'm wrong on this.”

Good work there, Ellen – no apology in sight.

As for PA Pundits, they’re already answering Ellen’s claims:

“Don’t get me wrong, I am HAPPY she’s is fine, I am HAPPY she is alive and free. I just don’t understand why her captors chose to do what they did.

If Ms. Carroll wants that apology, flowers, and a chance to punch me in the mouth, she can email me at Elf@papundits.com.

We’ll tape it an play it over here at PA Pundits.”

Debbie Schlussel is another case. She has been on Jill Carroll’s case NOT for what she said when she was released, but for everything she said BEFORE she was kidnapped. This is a case of Ellen Goodman being, how should I put it, dishonest. But why let a little thing like the truth get in the way?

Ellen also tries to sneak this in:

“The political bloggers first flexed their muscle in 2002 when they trumped the MSM -- blogspeak for Mainstream Media -- by forcing Trent Lott out of the Senate speakership after he toasted the good old segregated days of Strom Thurmond. In 2004, they proved the power of the Internet as a great equalizer when they confronted the house of CBS and Dan Rather over Bush's military records.

Two years later, we have -- ready, fire, aim -- the Jill Carroll affair. These attacks raise the question of what bloggery is going to be when it grows up. An Internet op-ed page? Or a polarized, talk-radio food fight?”

Ready, fire, aim...cute. Look, at least we were commenting on ACTUAL statements from Jill Carroll’s own mouth. What Dan Rather did was base his allegations on FAKES. And when the fakes were pointed out, he still stuck with his story. The bloggers at least deal with reality.

Ellen is just all upset that bloggers are upsetting the MSM apple cart. My advice to her is this - get over yourself.