"Eveyone" says Kos is an "asshole."

That is the chief lesson to be drawn from this extensive profile of Kos -- Markos Moulitsas Zuniga -- in the latest Washington Monthly:

Moulitsas is touchy, far too self-assured, and easily provoked. But he's more interesting in person than he is on his blog, more thoughtful and funny and even a little bit more capable of self-criticism. He laughs, he makes fun of himself, he says absurd things and then takes them back, and then thinks again and doesn't—he actually enjoys himself.... "Everybody says I'm an asshole, and they're right, I am."

I am fascinated by learning that Kos is much more interesting live than on his blog. So I suppose that's how he became a top-tier political blogger -- being an asshole. And being an asshole means behaving as if you are absolutely certain at all moments of the absolute rightness of your own snap judgements, being cutting and dismissive when confronted with even the mildest criticism. Being an asshole means being totally unable to correct oneself when shown to be wrong based on obvious evidence.

That's a price I just won't pay.

I am sad that we will never read the more reasonable Kos blog, the funny one, the one where he shows even a glimmer of self-awareness. Doesn't he have any idea how he comes across to people who aren't his sycophants? Doesn't he realize how he is just projecting his own neuroses and egotism onto his enemies? It must be awful to be a person like him, so utterly incapable of self-doubt, of honest self-reflection. I am absolutely positive you all agree with me.

This is why I am rigorously non-partisan. Politics requires an almost savage exclusion of all self-doubt, makes you unable to see yourself. I myself of course rise placidly above partisanship. My judgements about politics are clear-eyed and untainted by ideology. Pure.

Poor Kos. Poor, poor Kos. One day I sincerely hope he can come to the place I have arrived at, free of partisanship, free of petty poitics. One day if he is humble and penitent, he may at last understand why nobody has ever, ever, been tempted to call Ann Altmouse an asshole.