[palmer]

So the choices are: he's a traitor on Saddam's payroll or he has an inferiority complex and a desire for the spotlight. Do you have evidence for either of those theories?

[BrianS.Wise]

To the first point, I haven't ever suggested Ritter is on the Hussein's payroll. I said he used to be on the Fox News Channel's payroll, but was dismissed. The paragraph in question was:

"In answering the first question, well, your average American just doesn’t get an audience with the Iraqi National Assembly, which only shines a brighter light as to why Ritter was there and who footed the bill. On this, every possible accusation has been made, starting with “Ritter is on the Iraqi payroll and should be investigated for income tax evasion” and often ending with “Ritter is a traitor and should be investigated for espionage.” Maybe, maybe not; but by this point, even Ritter should understand how odd this all looks. Those who undergo philosophical shifts tend to do so gradually; for one example, your author didn’t flip from liberalism to Republicanism in one grand movement, rather the change came gradually."

What is suggested here is, these are some of the things people have said. Go down the list of replies to this column, you will see the same two accusations, unsolicited.

To the second point, the inferiority complex is just a suspicion of mine, and nothing that can be confirmed. That's why I haven't written it in a column; the understanding being the officially produced column work should be taken a little more seriously than something I fire off to someone on Free Republic.