The American Left's TMZ Moment

Never has a lop-sided, hastily-erected fence sparked such speculation in the not-so-hallowed falls of the internets.

Yet when Todd Palin set to work feverishly constructing a fence between the home he and his wife Sarah Palin -- the former Governor or Alaska, and former Vice Presidential nominee -- share with their children and the property currently being occupied by author Joe McGinniss, it didn't take long for a photo of a section of that fence to appear on the internet.

The photo reveals a massive gap under the bottom of the lop-sided fence, indicating the clearly-poor crafmanship of the work.

Then again, quality craftsmanship requires time. And when a would-be journalist is watching your family's private moments from the house next door, you start building fast.

The incident has revealled, once again, the self-serving nature of many of those who occupy the far left -- even those who occupy the far left under the guise of being conservative.

Case in point:

In The Conservative Soul, Andrew Sullivan wrote a fine and thoughtful book on the meaning of what it is to be a conservative. But in joining the "Bristol Palin is Trig Palin's mother" rush, Sullivan demolished his own credibility. He chose to become, essentially, a left-wing birther.

(And while right-wing birthers are concerned about the birth certificate of the American President -- a matter that would be of great social consequence if it weren't total nonsense -- Sullivan and company are concerned about the birth certificate of Palin's child. Sad world.)

It's on this note that some would imagine that Sullivan would decide to stop self-immolating, and leave Sarah Palin alone.

Nope. In a Daily Dish blog post about Palin and McGinnis, Sullivan snidely remarks: "I'm hardly surprised that Sarah Palin has had a conniption over someone threatening to commit journalism in her vicinity."

Apparently, to Andrew Sullivan, that's what this entire sorry affair is: journalism.

It isn't voyeurism for the satisfaction of a cabal of far-left-wingers who despise Palin. It's journalism.

Of course, there are other individuals, relentlessly invasive of the privacy of public figures, who call themselves journalists: the paparazzi.

Certainly, many among the paparazzi aspire to journalism. The problem for them is that they possess no quality journalistic skills. Accordingly, they become relegated to a dark corner of the world of journalism where they simply invade the privacy of celebrities in order to sell the photos they take for money.

This is apparently the depth that McGinniss has sunk to. Evidently, possessing no quality journalistic skills, he instead spies on the Palin family, presumably so he can include what he sees in their home in a book -- to be entitled Sarah Palin's Year of Living Dangerously.

To visit Wasilla, interview locals, perhaps even friends, family or adversaries of Palin would be one thing. But moving in next door and playing at being a Peeping Tom?

Another thning entirely.

Which reminds one of the genius of TMZ. TMZ is basically an infotainment program/website largely centred around the papparazzi. But rather than glorifying papparazzos, the show focuses on showcasing the ridiculousness of said papparazzos, and the kinds of stupid questions they tend to ask their subjects.

The current plight of Sarah Palin and family is a reminder of how ridiculous the left-wing media can be.

That someone like Andrew Sullivan, who describes himself to be a conservative, would join the ranks of their cheerleaders is rather embarrassing -- but, as in most cases of Andrew Sullivan and embarrassment, the embarrassment remains his.