NYT's Kristof doffs principle for pantsuit

So assiduous and hand-wringingly impassioned has been New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in rightly condemning other nations' barbaric oppression and torture of girls and women that, if you didn't monitor his other persuasions, you would probably assume him to be constant.

True, he has for years shined observational light on horrific sexual abuses, instances of unimaginably wicked physical persecution, and legal and cultural countenancing of backward peoples' wickedness.

But then, he as good as enabled future sick doings by throwing such prominent newsprint influence as he has behind the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

Apparently, Kristof is quite able to back-pocket any concern he might feel about the plights of women and girls abused.

Hillary Clinton, of course, has for decades enjoyed the overflowing patronage of foreign nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Syria, and others. In them, women are routinely oppressed in matters cultural. political, and economic. Rapes, honor killings, beatings, denial of human rights, and odious regulation of females' mundane actions like driving and travel are accepted across those primitive and terrible lands.

And in a particularly nasty moment, Hillary once laughed while recalling to an interviewer that a grown man she'd defended, of whose guilt in the rape of a 12 year-old she felt assured, had deceitfully passed a polygraph. 

Any objections Nicholas Kristof might have to any of these do not preclude his acceptance of the Clinton candidacy. Principles, he seems to feel, are to be restrained within column space and not allowed to interfere with political machinations.

Nor will he ever grow lonely in the wretched rank of abuse enabler. (I don't suppose the easy ever want for company.)

Like Kristof, Hillary's other awkward cheerleaders would in any other circumstance proclaim at top blare volume their own pretended goodness on such matters. 

Included are Senators Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, and Kirsten Gilibrand; commentators Lawrence O'Donnell (MSNBC), Megyn Kelly (Fox), and Don Lemon (CNN); and such largely-irrelevant-beyond-their-yards show business sorts as Mark Ruffalo, Rob Reiner, and professional feminism-bannerers Lena Dunham and Beyonce.

Their consciences are apparently equipped with mute buttons.

Kristof has on rare occasion whispered tissue-gentle criticism of Hillary. But considering his more frequent and full-throated shouts of damnation at Trump, those only half count.

He may well number persuasion among his columnist ambitions. If so, he's succeeded in a way surely unintended.

For Nicholas Kristof has persuaded discerning readers that he does not merit their confidence.