When Greta Van Susteren was bought by Rupert Murdoch for Fox News, I defended her right to get a new nose, and felt this was an inappropriate basis for attack.  Many people get new noses for varying personal reasons, and Greta was every bit as entitled to a new nose as anyone else.

But what about a new brain?  Now that’s another story.

I happened to turn on Fox News the other night when Greta was interviewing Newt Gingrich.  Today, I see that Walter Olson at Overlawyered picked up on this interview as well.  It deeply saddened me to watch what has happened to someone who was worthy of admiration for her intellect and guts.

A criminal defense lawyer, adjunct faculty member at Georgetown Law School, Greta was no dummy.  When she hosted Burden of Proof with Roger Cossack from 1994 to 2002, her intelligence and wit was on full display.

Then, in 2002, Greta was the subject of a bidding war, with Fox News prevailing.  Then a new Greta emerged, not exactly a sycophant in the manner of a pompous Bill O’Reilly or the sewer-dweller, Sean Hannity, but one who was willing to disconnect intellectual integrity from TV personality.

Greta has a blog called “Gretawire”.  Like most TV connected blogs, it serves primarily as an outlet for her fans to express their love.  It must be nice to be so loved.  But the content, the posts offered to Fox News viewers for their “opinions”, couldn’t possibly have been written by the Greta I knew.  Take a look at this :

It just occurred to me… $150,000 spent …by whom?
by Greta Van Susteren

It has been reported that the RNC spent $150,000 on clothes etc. for Governor Palin….but it just occurred to me, did she do this? was she the shopper?  or was this the RNC?  I just don’t see how Governor Palin could possibly have shopped herself…when? The media would have been trailing her throughout the stores…plus Secret Service…and would not someone in the media have reported it? It would have been a spectacle!  We don’t give the woman one inch to breathe so why would you think the media would let her shop and not report it? it just does not make sense!

In this sometimes nutty business of the media, we keep track of the candidates at all times….24/7….I know where they are..when they take off…when they land…who they are seeing….hours spent studying…..what they say etc.  Our FNC embed producers are emailing us non stop about the candidates…where they are and what they are doing….when would Governor Palin have had a chance to shop?  Never on my blackberry has anyone ever mentioned she was shopping….I suppose it is possible…but a part of me wonders if she is getting “thrown under the bus” on this one ? Who did do the shopping?

Now my first thought is that Greta’s just playing with her fans, knowing full well that there are two very different, and very complete, answers to her query.  First, there are a number of ways that Palin could have shopped outside the view of the media, whether before the announcement of her selection or during the private, after-hours shopping sprees that are provided very important shoppers or through “private shoppers” serving her sartorial needs. 

But, more importantly, the issue has nothing whatsoever to do with Palin having done the physical shopping herself.  Of course, Greta must realize this.  Greta’s no dope.  So why would she post something so, so dopey?

Apparently, the Greta I knew, the lawyer, the thinker, isn’t the Greta we see on TV.  The TV Greta is an entertainer in “this nutty business of the media,” and she’s playing the role on television that she’s paid to play.  If only she could sing and dance, we would have a Greta Extravaganza!  She could be the new Ed Sullivan, with Newt Gingrich playing Topo Gigio.

Likewise, Gretawire is an act in support of her TV personality.  Dumb it down to suit those with limited reasoning ability, and play the crowds like a pro.  And she is awfully good at what she does, portraying the kinda-lefty from a Fox News perspective, to make them feel like even lefty-Greta can’t deny the righteousness of the simpletons.

Way to go Greta!  You are a star.  Just don’t forget that there’s the old, smart, lawyer Greta underneath the TV persona.  Some day, you may want to return to the world of the thinking, and, to paraphrase Dan Quayle, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.