Talk about positivism!

Jonah Goldberg of the National Review on Mel Gibson's anti-semitism:

I don't know whether Gibson's apparent anti-Semitism is the product of his father's influence or not. But if it is, I guess we have one more example of why fathers matter.

Um, so the fact that Mel Gibson got his anti-Semitism from his dad fits right into your conservative pro-father/family agenda? "Those Nazi kids sure were deluded and inculcated with insane ideas by their fathers, but wasn't it great how their fathers spent time with them?! Fathers really DO matter! Now that's family values!" Is this really what Jonah G. wants to be saying? Does he want to spin this embarrassing incident from a newly minted conservative icon into proof of "why fathers matter?" I think there are better examples of the power of fatherhood to use, don't you? Why not just commend the guy down the street who beats his wife because his old man did it, too?

Asinine. Absolutely asinine.

I should mention that this statement comes in the midst of a long-gestating debate between Goldberg and John Derbyshire, but I don't think it makes it any less ridiculous.