LA Times Joel Stein in Hole, Keeps Digging

It looks like LA Times writer Joel Stein, he of the now famous "I Don't Support the Troops" article in yesterday's paper, loves being the crosshairs of conservative criticism because he certainly isn't doing anything to lesson his troubles:

A Los Angeles Times columnist who infuriated conservatives by writing that he does not support American troops fighting in Iraq -- and calling those who do "wusses" -- stood by the article on Tuesday.

Joel Stein said he has been "bombarded" by hate mail over the incendiary article -- which was headlined "Warriors and Wusses" and held that U.S. soldiers in Iraq were "ignoring their morality" -- but does not regret writing it and stands by the premise.

"I don't support what they are doing, and I don't the see point of putting a big yellow magnet on your car if you don't," Stein told Reuters in an interview. "I don't think (soldiers) are necessarily bad people. I do plenty of things that are wrong too. But I don't agree with what they are doing so I don't see the logic of supporting it."

The article, which ran on the Times opinion page on Tuesday, was quickly linked on conservative sites across the Internet, where readers poured scorn on Stein, on the newspaper and on liberals in general.

As reported earlier, he was eviscerated in yesterday's radio interview with Hugh Hewitt, and was supposed to appear on Mark Larson's San Diego show at noon today, but wimped out with an email cancellation. I think perhaps his handlers at the Times have begun to realize that he isn't doing them any favors by appearing in interviews.

UPDATE: I saw a picture of Stein and just realized that he was an unfunny talking head on the "E" channel series "I Love the 70's" (and 80's and 90's). He had little if any TV presence, and nothing to add to the shows, but because he was a celebrity reporter for Time Magazine, they apparently thought he'd be interesting. Not so.