MSNBC's Eric Alterman decides that he doesn't like Andrew Sullivan much -- probably because Sullivan's been on every liberal's favorite economist -- Paul Krugman -- like white on rice.

(Full disclosure: A mention back in May by Sullivan got me my highest-traffic day -- but not $50,000.)

Apparently the online magazine Salon has hired Sullivan to write for it. Alterman doesn't like it.

There are plenty of conservative writers who do not, like Sullivan, regularly poison our discourse by engaging in false character assassination, deliberate distortion, and mindless, hateful hysterics toward those with whom they disagree.

Well, Alterman's little screed would probably qualify as character assassination. Check. As I pointed out in this post Alterman is also guilty of deliberate distortion. Check.

As far as "mindless, hateful hysterics" goes, well, that's in the eye of the beholder. Some might classify his criticism as Sullivan as such. Or his criticism of Ann Coulter (though she's not one of my favorites -- she does have personality). Check.

Alterman needs to get a grip. If Sullivan's presence gets a few whiny liberals to cancel their subscriptions, then it just goes to show how thin-skinned liberals are. Besides, what specific thing has Sullivan said that so offends Alterman?

It's a good thing that MSNBC is free, because I'd have cancelled my subscription to it after Alterman likened Marwan Barghouti to some sort of latter-day George Washington. Alterman should be working for Reuters, the news service that brought you the famous "one man's 'terrorist' is another man's freedom fighter" drivel.

Every criticism of the left raises cries of "censorship" and other such nonsense. Want to see the difference between liberals and conservatives? You won't see any conservative crying "censorship" over a few cancelled subscriptions. In fact, a more balanced Salon might garner more conservative readers.

If Sullivan can manage it, he should use his blog to promote the sale of new Salon subscriptions -- with tweaking Alterman as the goal -- with a small finder's fee for each new subscription as a small bonus. Heck, it worked for National Review after a State Department undersecretary-type person called to cancel their complimentary subscription.