No problem--

What got me thinking was the vehemence with which conservatives have defended the need for due process and the rights of the accused when (and I'm speaking generally here) conservatives are skeptical, if not overtly hostile, to those who advocate attention to such rights in other cases. How many times have those raising issues about detention without trial at Gitmo been demeaned as "hating America?" How many times has the ACLU been referred to as the "American Criminal Liberties Union?"

By the same token, those on the left had a tendency to side with the accuser in this case, in contrast with the longstanding commitment of liberals to the protection of the individual from the prosecutorial power of the state.

What I suggest in my post is that this apparent flip flop is actually consistent with underlying concerns and attitudes about power in society. To put it bluntly and simplistically, conservatives tended to side with the accused because they represented existing power structures based on race, gender, and class, while liberals tended to side with the accuser because of her position of inferority with regard to these power structures.

Of course, the fact that the guy in charge of bringing the charges was a Democrat added fuel to the fire, but I don't think it explains it entirely.

Stop by and share your thoughts if you like.

Cheers,

ted