Joel Mowbray examines the controversy surrounding Yale University's plans to hire Juan Cole. Apparently, in a manner reminiscent of Summers's criticism of Cornel West, some members of the Yale faculty question Cole's focus on blogging in lieu of scholarship.

As one Yale professor notes,"He hasn't written a book of original scholarship since 1998, and while he's produced a lot on his web site, blogs lack fundamental cornerstones of academic research, such as footnotes, sources, and critical review."

Jason DeParle demonstrates that ideology, or more precisely party affiliation, rather than competence is the reason the Georgetown faculty is giving Douglas Feith the cold shoulder. Not that DeParle is anxious to admit it. The contrary is true.

All say the open protest is unusual at a place that embraces former officials as part of its panache. A former secretary of state, Madeleine K. Albright; a former national security adviser, Anthony Lake; and a former director of central intelligence, George J. Tenet, have joined the faculty without event.

Well, they were all members of a democratic administration even if George W. Bush was dumb enough to keep Tenet during his first term. This, however, is only acknowledged in the same manner the anti-Feith smear campaign is acknowledged - indirectly.

Charles E. King, a professor at the foreign policy school, objected to the appointment but declined to sign the protest letter, because"I thought there were a lot of inaccuracies."

Still, he added:"I hope this story does not play out as 'pointy-headed academics diss Republicans,' because that is not what's going on at all. The stakes are who gets to teach for credit in what is still one of the top 25 universities in the U.S."

Actually, dissing Republicans is exactly what is going on. Just note the New School's treatment of John MacCain. The baby boomers still believe getting the US to turn Vietnam and Cambodia over to the Communists was their finest hour and they cannot wait to repeat the feat by turning Iraq over to Al Qaeda.