The only surprise is that it took so long. (Via Instapundit.)
The question remains, though. How did the vetters miss the fact that this guy was a wacko? One possibility: they were too incompetent. Even worse possibility: they knew about him, but didn’t think he was wacko.
UPDATE: Good point:
Remember Chas Freeman? This is actually the second time an Obama appointee has been sunk due to a protracted controversy over past statements and the NYT didn’t write a single word about the controversy until after the fact. (Of course, Freeman had merely been nominated when he took himself out of the running for Director of National Intelligence — he wasn’t actually in the administration, unlike Van Jones.)
More along that line here and here.
UPDATE: Heh:
It’s a good method. You can save a lot of money covering news stories only at the end.
UPDATE: We have something of an answer to the first question now.
Internet Scofflaw 