The radical right rarely takes people on concerning the facts of an issue because so often the facts rebut their positions. Character assassination is so much more fun. The latest smear by those who thinking caring for the well being of others assaults their right to take what they want is that Al Gore is as big a hypocrite as Senator Vitter, the family values senator who likes his escorts close and personal and takes their calls from his taxpayer supplied office. Reason? Gore ate Chilean Sea Bass at his daughter’s wedding, and wild Chilean Sea Bass is at risk. Well paid enviro-bashers like Matt Drudge and the “Competitive Enterprise Institute,” that so bravely accused Rachel Carson of genocide have equally bravely exposed Gore’s supposed hypocrisy. Many other lunatics on the right joined in.

It’s not true, not even remotely. Gore did nothing wrong. The sea bass was farm raised and not all fish farms are the abominations salmon farms are. For a reliable list of what seafood is sustainable and what is not, check out this from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (And if you are ever in Monterey, California, check out the aquarium. It’s worth every cent of its entry fee.

Deltoid has done an excellent job in tracking down how the story got promoted and who is behind it. It’s a good lesson on how the right wing manipulates the news.

For another on how they do it in general, and the price we all pay for it, see Digby’s latest, here.