First off, I'm not sure Greenwald could stop writing. He seems pretty addicted to it.
Let's look at perhaps Greenwald's biggest article critical of a single individual in recent times, his roast (let's call it) of Sam Harris [1]. He starts by asserting that Harris "[has] increasingly embraced a toxic form of anti-Muslim bigotry masquerading as rational atheism" -- that "he and others like him spout and promote Islamophobia under the guise of rational atheism." He then goes on to observe that "Harris does far, far more than voice criticisms of Islam as part of a general critique of religion" and presents quotes by Harris himself. He explains that "Harris has used his views about Islam to justify a wide range of vile policies aimed primarily if not exclusively at Muslims, from torture [...] to steadfast support for Israel," that "Harris sided with the worst Muslim-hating elements in American society by opposing the building of a Muslim community center near Ground Zero." Greenwald writes: "In sum, he sprinkles intellectual atheism on top of the standard neocon, right-wing worldview of Muslims"...
Yes, he labels the rhetoric that Harris "spews" as "bile".. Yes, his own rhetoric is often of the pointed sort ("That is the Harris worldview: obsessed with bad acts of foreign Muslims, almost entirely blind to - if not supportive of - the far worse acts of westerners like himself"). But when it counts, his criticisms of people he disagrees with are usually maintain a careful composure, afaik.
In the comments section of his Guardian articles, it's a different story. "Do you know how to read?" from a month or so before Snowden is the example that sticks out in my mind. Wish he'd find another stress-relief activity.
Let's look at perhaps Greenwald's biggest article critical of a single individual in recent times, his roast (let's call it) of Sam Harris [1]. He starts by asserting that Harris "[has] increasingly embraced a toxic form of anti-Muslim bigotry masquerading as rational atheism" -- that "he and others like him spout and promote Islamophobia under the guise of rational atheism." He then goes on to observe that "Harris does far, far more than voice criticisms of Islam as part of a general critique of religion" and presents quotes by Harris himself. He explains that "Harris has used his views about Islam to justify a wide range of vile policies aimed primarily if not exclusively at Muslims, from torture [...] to steadfast support for Israel," that "Harris sided with the worst Muslim-hating elements in American society by opposing the building of a Muslim community center near Ground Zero." Greenwald writes: "In sum, he sprinkles intellectual atheism on top of the standard neocon, right-wing worldview of Muslims"...
Yes, he labels the rhetoric that Harris "spews" as "bile".. Yes, his own rhetoric is often of the pointed sort ("That is the Harris worldview: obsessed with bad acts of foreign Muslims, almost entirely blind to - if not supportive of - the far worse acts of westerners like himself"). But when it counts, his criticisms of people he disagrees with are usually maintain a careful composure, afaik.
In the comments section of his Guardian articles, it's a different story. "Do you know how to read?" from a month or so before Snowden is the example that sticks out in my mind. Wish he'd find another stress-relief activity.
[1] http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/apr/03/sam-har...