It's a brilliant publicity stunt.

It will be interesting to see how Joe does as a reporter.

Posted by: rosignol at January 8, 2009 2:01 AM

I'm reminded of Bill Buckley's quote: "I'd rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University."

I'll be interested to see what Joe's questions are. Substantive answers may take reflection the media doesn't have patience with and, as a result, may prove to be worth waiting for.

Posted by: Paul S. at January 8, 2009 3:04 AM

I am looking forward to your interview. Joe may do well or he may not; only time and experience will tell. Still, it will be interesting to see how he does.

Joe the Plumber may not know "jack", but at least he doesn't seem to have any pre-conceived notions of the situation. That, in itself, puts him head and shoulders above most of the “reporters” involved in this issue.

Keep up the good work!

Steamboat Jack

PS
You are at 46.6% vs. 19.9% for Israellycool and 19.5% for Informed Consent.

Posted by: Steamboat Jack at January 8, 2009 7:13 AM

I sure don't mind an 'Everyman's' POV on the current situation in Israel. Anthony Bourdain's accidental coverage of the Hezbollah/Israel conflict was award worthy. But, unlike Bourdain, this guy is a professional puppet. I know I would have appreciated his insights into my burst pipe a few weeks ago, but I am not sure he has the skill set for this job. I will be interested to read his observations. Maybe he will surprise us.

Posted by: Lindsey at January 8, 2009 9:43 AM

After picking candidate with no serious credentials to become our President I feel ready for any job there is.

I heard neurosurgeons get by very well.

Posted by: leo at January 8, 2009 2:12 PM

The pinnacle of a**hattery. I'd be willing to consider changing my mind if you could point to one intelligent or substantive thing "Joe the Plumber" has said, about any public topic, in his brief noncareer, but I'm not holding my breath.

I can't say I'm looking forward to watching you debase yourself by taking him seriously, either.

but at least he doesn't seem to have any pre-conceived notions of the situation

Yeah, except for where he was quoted saying that the election of Barack Obama would be "the death of Israel".

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1032257.html

He's a professional tool. He knows his 15 minutes are over the first time he doesn't take the most mindlessly outlandish position he can find on a given topic. See, the professionals wouldn't touch him with a 100-foot-pole, because he's a tool. The only people that can use him are the a**hats who know that in exchange for furthering his mini-celebrity, he is willing to say any old dipsh*t thing that furthers their fringe agenda.

Posted by: glasnost at January 9, 2009 8:34 PM

Normally, I'm not one to get too strident about things like this.

I've embedded twice as a freelancer with the 82nd Abn, and 25th ID. I'm also an Army Desert Storm vet.

I wasn't especially impressed/unimpressed with Joe's new career path at first.

Today, I saw the clip with him in Israel in which he said that the media should be abolished from war reporting, and things should be "like World War I and II when people went to theaters and were happy for the soldiers" and that American citizens "didn't have opinions," or words to that effect.

"Media should be abolished from war zones?"

Since Ernie Pyle was a World War II reporter with 1000 times the balls this man Werleksbacker, or whatever, will ever have, he's totally off-base on that score.

Second, apparently he wants Michael Totten, Michael Yon, and many others banned from the war zones.

There's not much else to say about it. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, watched his little interview, came to my opinion then.

He disgraced himself.

Posted by: NS Webster at January 11, 2009 3:58 PM