Charles Johnson "Explodes"

Charles Johnson ran a disclaimer today at the introduction to his post on President Barack Obama and Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez. The two heads of state were being photographed together hanging out like old friends. Johnson's brief caption to the photo read:

I know some people think that because I refuse to jump on the bandwagon with some of the more ridiculous, exaggerated attacks against Barack Obama, I’m suddenly on his side.

But this ... is absolutely sickening.

The obvious problem here is that a genuinely conservative blogger shouldn't have to apologize for past comments when criticizing President Obama for his sashays with brutal Latin American dictators.

I've already noted that Andrew Sullivan's a big fan of Little Green Footballs, and that's a huge red flag to any traditionalist who's raised the battle standard against the cultural heathens on the left. But now Media Matters is on board the Johnson gravy train, for example:

Here's a key quote though, from LGF's Charles Johnson, surveying Fox News' militia media movement [emphasis added:

I just wish everyone would take a step back from this extremist brink. It can't lead anywhere good. At best, it will bring the right-wing blogosphere into disrepute, and at the worst it could lead to violence if you encourage these real nuts out there.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the unhinged anti-Obama rhetoric broadcast on so many right-wing blogs since January 21 has already drowned the community in disrepute. The Fox News-driven "tea parties" and the DHS nervous breakdown this week only cemented it.

Shorter version--as long as Michelle Malkin's at the head of any movement, it's going to be a joke.

That's not all.

Johnson's got a series of brief entries at the blog, trying to scruff off all the attention on the left to his own overboard obssession with the current outpouring of robust conservatism:

* "Heads Explode at Reddit.com."

* "Heads Explode at Daily Kos."

* "Heads Explode at Washington Monthly."

* "Heads Explode at Ace of Spades."

* "Heads Explode at Media Matters."

* "James Wolcott's Head Explodes."

* "Heads Explode at Fox News."

* "Heads Explode at Gawker.com."

* "Heads Exploding Everywhere."

As one who sees Johnson doing more harm to conservatism than the fringe elements he's scourging, I have to admit it's not like I didn't anticipate this. See my series of posts, for example:

* "On Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs."

* "Core Cultural Values."

* "Charles Johnson's Strange Alliance with Andrew Sullivan."

* "Glenn Beck Hammers Charles Johnson."

Something's going to happen soon. Maybe we'll see Johnson form a 527 organization with Sully and Markos Moultisas: "The Little Green and Gay Smear Merchants Coalition."