Opinion Focus

Washington Post opinion columnist Eugene Robinson was online Tuesday, June 13, at 1 p.m. ET to discuss his recent columns and anything else that was on your mind.

Read his latest column, Taste a Cupful of Passion , ( Post, June 13, 2006 )

The transcript follows.

____________________

Eugene Robinson: Hi, folks. I'll be here for an hour, as usual, to talk about anything you'd like. The president is on a surprise visit to Iraq, Brazil plays later this afternoon in the World Cup (today's column), Karl Rove seems to have beaten the rap, Al Gore has become the most visible non-candidate among a host of ostensible non-candidates, and Tom DeLay has said his goodbyes -- not a moment too soon.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Do you think that the news that Karl Rove won't be indicted hurts the credibility of bloggers? At least one of the them claimed with certainty that Karl Rove had already been indicted. I guess this is what you get when amateurs try to play the part of journalists.

Eugene Robinson: I'm not sure you can generalize and say this one mistake hurts bloggers in general, since bloggers make mistakes all the time. When you practice journalism, inevitably there are times when a reliable source tells you something that doesn't turn out to be true. The reason the dinosaur-like MSM is so lumbering and slow is that we have editors, who can be a pain in the rear -- I know, because I used to be one -- but who challenge reporters' sources and facts before publishing. Whoever posted that Rove item has learned a lesson that all journalists have to learn. The difference is that we used to learn it at the Podunk Times, circulation 2,000, rather than in cyberspace, circulation ten zillion.

_______________________

Rosslyn, Va.: Eugene, thanks for the World Cup tips!

However, you forgot to include any anecdotes about Cote D'Ivoire. This sad West African nation agreed to suspend its civil war so that the entire nation could rally behind their national team during the World Cup.

So if you happen to cheer for the team that's playing against the Ivory Coast, you're really calling for tens of thousands of people to be chopped up with machetes. Woot!

Tell me again why we Americans are stupid for not liking this sport?

Eugene Robinson: You're right -- I'm sorry to have left out Cote D'Ivoire. I mean, halting a way so everyone can watch soccer is pretty amazing. So I'll root for them in their next game. The reason to watch is that these guys are amazingly good and they're playing for the highest possible stakes. I can't stop watching. (Although, I admit, the Switzerland vs. France match that's on right now is not the most exciting I've seen.)

_______________________

Lansdale, Pa.: Great column today. I think the reason most Americans can't understand the appeal of soccer/football/futbol is because they haven't lived anywhere but here. Soccer can be as exciting (or as boring) as a baseball game -- and for the same reasons, i.e. lulls between action, relatively little offense, etc.

Look at perhaps the best-known U.S. soccer player: Mia Hamm (sorry, guys, but she probably is). Air Force brat, raised overseas. Wonder where she picked up her appreciation for the "beautiful game?"

Eugene Robinson: My two sons learned soccer overseas. The older one learned in Argentina -- he was a goalie, and a good one. In Buenos Aires, when his friends came over to play in the back yard, a bunch of American kids -- mostly State Dept brats -- would all switch to Spanish when they started playing soccer. They didn't know how to play it in English.

_______________________

Fairfax, Va.: Tom Edsall in his online chat today said he got a buyout and is leaving. Are the buyouts at The Post part of an effort to cleanse The Post of political reporters who seem to be even a little open minded to liberal points of view? In the same vein, is there any significance to The Post publishing Michael Getler's review of "Lapdogs" on the very last page of the Sunday Book section?

Eugene Robinson: Come on. The buyouts are an attempt to save money by reducing the number of full-time jobs in the newsroom. The fairest way to do that was through a buyout -- excuse me, "enhanced retirement" is what it's called -- offered to all staffers above a certain age with a certain number of years of service. When you do that, you lose some people you don't want to lose -- and I certainly don't want us to lose Edsall. But there's nothing political about it. As for Getler's review of "Lapdogs," I haven't the slightest idea why it ran where it ran.

_______________________

Rochester, N.Y.: Reading Peter Baker's piece on Bush's new chief domestic policy advisor, Karl Zinsmeister, made me wonder if he was chosen because Anne Coulter was too busy selling books? Seriously, is this guy the person who is going to be shaping this administration's thoughts about how to improve American society?

Eugene Robinson: Hard to believe, isn't it? Where did they find this guy? At least Coulter is good theater.

_______________________

San Francisco, Calif.: Thank you for taking my question, Mr. Robinson, and hello! Will leading Republicans be forced to denounce Ann Coulter's hate speech now that she's gone after the Jersey Girls?

Eugene Robinson: I'm amazed that more Republicans haven't distanced themselves from her. I was thinking about writing a column on Coulter, but I decided I didn't want to give her that little incremental boost of publicity. And she's like some sort of negative-energy creature who seems to grow stronger when you attack her, as if she feeds on the anger she generates. So I'm trying to ignore her.

_______________________

Greenville, S.C.: Eugene - I've seen written several places today, two in the Wapost, that Karl Rove has "apparently beaten the rap". Is he being indicted, or not? If not, is that so hard to say?

Eugene Robinson: His lawyer read a statement saying he has been informed by the special prosecutor that no charges against Rove are being contemplated. In columnese, he beat the rap.

_______________________

Newfoundland, Canada: Always like to hear what you have to say...keep it up.

Any prognostications on the ACLU / NSA warrantless spying case? Does the judiciary, this judge, have the backbone to stand up to the administration?

Eugene Robinson: Hope springs eternal, and the judge in this case has already demonstrated more backbone than, say, Congress. I don't know how far it can be pushed, though. The administration is so determined not to reveal anything about its spying that I have to believe they'll find some way to quash this thing. Hope not.

_______________________

Long Island, N.Y.: Why do you think that the Rolling Stone article by Robert Kennedy, Jr. regarding the voter manipulation in Ohio in the 2004 election is being ignored or at least under-reported by the 'mainstream' media? I haven't seen a word about this article in any of the major newspapers or on the cable "news" TV channels. It seems like it should be a major news story. Could you comment on this. Thank you.

Eugene Robinson: The news staffs of the major newspapers will do their own reporting, as they should, rather than rely on Rolling Stone. The story by RFK Jr. should launch them (and probably already has) on their own investigations of what happened in Ohio. I've read it and it's powerful, but to draw the conclusions he's drawn you have to do your own reporting.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Mr. Robinson: I can't read your explanation of buyouts ("to save money by reducing the number of jobs in the newsroom") without thinking about Richard Cohen's Post column today or yesterday, in which he said when you do that, you hurt readers by losing quality, and that he wished there were a better way to evaluate the performance of great newspapers.

How much, in your opinion, do these buyouts represent the beginning (or steepening) of a trend away from quality and in-depth reporting in major US newspapers?

Eugene Robinson: Let me be clear: Reducing the number of jobs in the newsroom is a bad thing, not a good thing. But the economics of the newspaper business these days are such that some staff reductions are inevitably going to take place. Papers like the Post, the New York Times and many others are committed to making whatever reductions they might have to make in a way that still allows them to do great journalism (and I should point out that papers in Britain, for example, have much smaller staffs than the major American papers, although I'm not suggesting we follow their model). That said, can you do the same amount of great journalism when 69 people (or whatever the final number was) take a buyout? No. Less isn't more. You hope you can do it so that less is just a teeny bit less.

_______________________

Winnipeg, Canada: Regarding President Bush's surprise visit to Iraq, does he realize that sneaking in by the back door reinforces the idea that the mission is a long way from being accomplished? Put another way, can you imagine the implications of the President making a surprise visit to Canada or Mexico, or Brazil?

I will believe that Iraq has stabilized when I read that the President plans to visit Iraq some time hence, and that he will follow a set itinerary.

Eugene Robinson: When you don't even tell your host you're coming until five minutes before you land, or whatever it was, you're acknowledging that there's still a problem. To say the least.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Good afternoon,

This weekend on Chris Matthews' show, the round table discussed Sen. Barack Obama and his current moves/position regarding a run for Prez. Did you happen to see this, or hear about it? Do you think it's too much to hope for?

Eugene Robinson: I don't think 2008 is Obama's year. Too soon. But there's so much uncertainty that it's impossible to completely rule it out.

_______________________

World cup pick: go Trinidad and Tobago!: After being laid out sick all weekend watching all the games, I've picked my plucky upstart country to root for, T&T is the smallest nation to ever get in the World Cup, and were thrilled to grind Sweden to a 0-0 tie. Though, I will also root for Ivory Coast that this soccer truce turns into a more permanent one...

Eugene Robinson: Lystra, the Post ombudsman's assistant, sits right outside my office and is from Trinidad. So this corner of the room will be rooting for T and T too. That tie was the most surprising result so far.

_______________________

Manassas, Va.: It appears that your column on the Dixie chicks from June 2nd was not on the mark. Yes their album has sold a good number since its release, but their single(s) release never got higher than 35th place on the chart. Also, as reported by ABC news yesterday, their North American tour has required a major overhaul because they were not selling tickets in the country heartland. So many stops of their tour have been changed or canceled, that it doesn't fit with a billboard number one album. The only places they were selling tickets are in other countries and in a few major metropolitan cities that lean liberal Democrat. Please give us your thoughts on this development.

Eugene Robinson: Sounds to me as if the Chicks have found a new audience. I wrote at the time that it wasn't clear whether the success of the album was coming from country fans who were defying the industry's effective boycott of their music, or from new fans who wanted to show their support of the Chicks' outspoken views. Now maybe we're finding out. They've always had a good deal of crossover appeal anyway, and maybe they've made the transition from a red-state to a blue-state audience.

_______________________

Louisville, Ky.: Eugene,

What do you make of the thought that the dead tree Post is being hurt by the decisions of the online staff? I've read plenty of anecdotal accounts of people canceling their subscriptions in reaction to Deborah Howell's early columns, the Ben Domenech issue, and Jim Brady's demonization of online liberal readers.

Having lived in D.C., I recognize that much of the Post's readership probably swings left. Is there any connection between the further alienation of liberal viewpoints by the paper and the Post's decision to offer so many buyouts?

Eugene Robinson: For the last time, people, the buyouts were not political. Repeat, not political. The Post has readers who lean every which way, and when we publish a great big newspaper and a great big web site every day (and now operate a radio station as well), sometimes something some part of the Post does ticks some of those readers off.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: Is it your perception that there is a growing rift between the African-American and the Hispanic/Latino communities in the D.C. area? If so what do you think should be done to address it? Thank you.

Eugene Robinson: I hope not, because that would be tragically counterproductive. I'll come back to that in future columns.

And I'll come back here next week, same time, same place. Thanks, everyone.

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.