Had a good chuckle over this. In his latest "Scribble" (read this soon - will only remain open to public viewing for 21 hours after I write this post), Mark Ames joins the chorus of sheeplike liberal voices urging Snowden to go back to face the music and so on and so on. The moral crutch he's using? "Politkovskaya's paper." More precisely, Novaya Gazeta. More precisely, a Yulia Latynina column in Novaya Gazeta. Yes, that same Yulia "Pinochet" Latynina who loves oligarchs, property qualifications for voting, and believes the ECHR and global warming are leftist conspiracies. This coming from the guy who rails against Koch, defends the TSA for groping people just because it's unionized, and launches puerile attacks on journalists like Greenwald for criticizing his beloved TSA and apparently doing so makes one a far-right fascist Randian libertarian. (The terms are synonymous as far as that wingnut is concerned). This is of course just the latest episode in a seemingly endless descent. I once admired Ames, now he's not just the type of rank careerist that he threw horse sperm pies at in his eXile days - he is a duplicitious hypocrite to boot. What a fall...
When in Rome, do as Romans do! On his own admittance, when in Russia Ames used to hurl shit at all and sundry - because he could: Russia was a lawless state in the '90s. Then came the rule of law, and home went Ames. Back on his own patch, he wants to stay employed.
Gee; I'm torn. I just can't decide - is this (a) a huge semi-cynical disappointment, or (b) a steaming pile of ordure? I also once admired Ames, more for what he dared to say than the way he said it, because I never thought he was a tremendously good writer (although he was unquestionably colourful). However, as Moscow Exile alludes above, what appeared to appeal most to him about Russia was its lawless frontier atmosphere and the related access to its young (underage young in some cases, I have heard) girls, whom he used to refer to half-affectionately, half contemptuously as "dyevs". Anyway, the behavior of those he now condemns with the tired catechisms of hackery - "goons" and "siloviki" - he once affected to respect for their bold initiative. How indeed have the mighty fallen, and he has devolved to little more than another office poodle who is sought after for his Russian commentary because he spent some time there and can put faces to the names. The citation of Latynina as a source is merely a dollop of whipped cream on the manure.
I am going to partially defend Ames by stating that I have never seen him sucking up to the Russian powers-that-be, whether Putin or Yeltsin. He was too cynical (or realistic?) to do that. And remember, he's been friends with Limonov since like forever. That said, being back in America can't be that easy for him. It must be hard for him to stand out, since he lacks the unique niche he occupied in Russia.
Which is commendable, but it seems that since leaving Russia he has mellowed so that his primary occupation now is to attack those who criticize the American government. It's sad to see his regression, because he used to be original and worth paying attention to.
His single stroke of genius was to do his thing in Russia, at a moment of transition and great social turmoil. Back in America, he's just another scribbler.
Here is Ames' juvenile, self-aggrandizing response to a pretty mild-mannered criticism of his Snowden coverage. (link will remain active for 1 day 17 hours).
He doesn't come off self-aggrandizing so much as narcissistic and insecure. So much need to talk about himself. Why?
