A Pat on the Head
Two days ago, Rush Limbaugh came to Larry Summers' defense. (I didn't post Limbaugh's words, as his site is subscriber-only.) But in discussing a Harvard play dramatizing Abu Ghraib, Limbaugh said something to the effect of, Larry Summers should play the part of one of the tortured prisoners, given what he's been through.
Today arch-conservative columnist
Pat Buchanan weighs in on Summers' behalf with a column titled, "Summers Sinned Against Liberal Orthodoxy."
Here's the creepiest paragraph: "The reaction to Summers reveals something else: a fear in the heart of the establishment of where a debate the subject he pried open might lead. For is Summers is right, and gender does explain the difference in the test scores of women and men in math, what other differences might genetics explain?"
What exactly is Buchanan trying to suggest? What "other differences" does he have in mind?
One of the unfortunate aspects of the Summers' episode is how his conservative defenders have leveled scorn and derision directed against the Harvard faculty.
I continue to think that Summers would do well by standing up and defending them. (Bill Kirby should have, but never mind.)
Imagine these lines contained in, say, a Commencement mea culpa: "My own misstatements have prompted some who agreed with me to attack the faculty of this magnificent institution. Although part of me appreciates the support, I can not endorse these criticisms. Much as the faculty and I have disagreed on some issues—disagreements which will, I believe, prove constructive in the long run—make no mistake: this is the finest, most demanding, most accomplished collection of scholars in the world. The suggestion that they are dogmatic or politically correct or hysterical is unfair and untrue. Along with the students, the alumni, and all the other people who constitute this Harvard community, they are what makes Harvard the world's greatest university. And to anyone outside the university who may have the impression that I believe otherwise—I will not quietly stand by and allow that impression to go unchallenged."
Cue standing ovation.
President Summers, it's all yours. Run with it.
