Kristof’s Breakthrough

This variation on "to be sure" (see this earlier post) was spotted a while back by Mickey Kaus.

Nicholas Kristof has come up with a breakthrough in pundit efficiency–a short, ass-covering phrase that works with virtually any argument, yet can be inserted without taking up valuable space.

Specifically he cites a Kristof op-ed in The New York Times which notes declines in the top income tax marginal rates and capital gains tax rates and then says,

"All this has coincided with the decline of some public services and the emergence of staggering levels of inequality (granted, other factors are also at work)..."

Kaus concludes "It’s the opinion journalist’s equivalent of a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card."