Legal Commentary

A critique of Dahlia Lithwick's debate advice to Joe Biden

By Beldar

Dahlia Lithwick tells us in her latest online column in Slate that she is a "longtime parliamentary debater" (by which I think she means, she's from Canada) and a "longer-time female," and that as such, she is going to "humbly offer [Joe Biden] a few tips on how to debate a girl."

I have no fonder hope tonight than that Sen. Biden will read Ms. Lithwick's column carefully, and that he will do his very best to follow her advice.

Some of the advice is poor because it's based on silly premises. For example:

[A]s any college debater will tell you, it's far harder to beat a clumsy opponent than a good one. (That's why you do better in your judiciary committee hearings with John Roberts than with Alberto Gonzales.)

To which the only possible reply is: In what alternative universe was Ms. Lithwick residing during the Roberts confirmation hearings? And does she really mean to argue that clumsy debaters regularly beat good ones? If so, ought not she re-define her notions of what "good" is?

This sounds suspiciously like a meme that would be very popular on the bus-ride home of just about every second-place parlimentary debating team.

Full post as published by BeldarBlog on September 09, 2008 (boomark / email).