GEMS

Some pearls from an interview with Peter Schweizer, author of the bestselling book "Do As I Say (Not As I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy."

"I think there's a huge difference between conservative hypocrisy and liberal hypocrisy. We all struggle with hypocrisy. It's part of the human condition. But when we conservatives are hypocrites and abandon our principles, we end up hurting ourselves. We've all had experiences with that. Basically we are worse off for having abandoned our principles. But ironically, liberal ideas are so bad that when liberals abandon their principles, they actually improve their lives. Their kids go to better schools. They have more prosperity. They hire the people they want, etc. [But] We shouldn't just engage in the personal level of attack. We should evaluate their ideas. And by putting these individuals under the microscope, we can see how bad their ideas really are.

Think about it - it's the perfect arrangement. On the one hand, by taking those liberal positions, you can claim a so-called higher moral ground; but by being a hypocrite you don't have to suffer personally. You really can have your cake and eat it too. You can have it both ways. That's why it's such a pernicious and dangerous approach, and why we need to hold these leaders to account."

" .... These leaders don't just fail here or there. It's systemic. We're talking about people like Ted Kennedy, who for 40 years has advocated higher taxes - and for 40 years has systematically worked to avoid paying them. These are not momentary lapses. These are profound, deep-rooted problems."