Gut reaction: Grow up, people. Life’s too damn short.
Post Script: I read Sullivan daily and Althouse rarely, but I enjoy both and think both are intelligent and generally clear-headed people. Even then, I found this little spat embarrassing. That’s not to say there weren’t real offenses committed in this exchange; there were. So be it. Turn the other cheek and move on. And yes, I could have just ignored their debate, but I was fascinated by it for one reason: It’s a very clear study on how two educated, accomplished people can fixate on passing slights until they become virtual crimes against humanity, until both people are spending way too much time with a distracting public dispute that is, frankly, beneath them. Granted, I’ve been guilty of similar interpersonal spats in my life — and it’s usually taken an outsider to go all “Dr. Phil” on me before I could move on. Not that I’m Dr. Phil in this case, or that either Sully or Ann will give a damn what I have to say. But I’ve said it anyway. So there you go.