I don't agree with very much that Warthen writes. I'm a conservative; he's a liberal. He's practically an automatic vote for a Democrat when it comes time for the editorial board to vote on the paper's presidential endorsement. And of his three favorites, Lieberman, McCain and Graham, Lieberman is the only one I like very much.

I've read Warthen for years. I don't think he is dishonest, and I don't think it's correct to question his credibility in the way you did, for the reasons you gave. In the column, he was simply reporting personal impressions. To question his credibility on the matter is to suggest that he is lying about those impressions, or at least exaggerating them. Do you also question his favorable personal impressions of Howard Dean? Does the column read that way to you? It has an honest feel to me.