Goodwin

I despise the liberal orthodoxy that creates "victims" out of people who have committed various offenses.

But apparently it's not confined to liberals. Dorothy Rabinowitz of the (generally) conservative WSJ editorial board has penned a piece that is wholly sympathetic to plagiarist Doris Kearns Goodwin, and almost makes her out to be a "victim." To Rabinowitz's credit, she's made almost as persuasive a case as possible on Goodwin's behalf. But the most persuasive case would have been this: Goodwin's not plagiarizing (or "accidentally borrowing") in the first place. Plagiarism is a cardinal offense in my view, the sort of secondhanding that I find despicable. Goodwin's reputation has suffered -- but I bet she will be a little more careful from now on. Correction -- she, her research assistants, and her PR people will be more careful.

[Posted at 22:03 CST on 04/11/02] [Link]