At the end of last week, the disclosure of off-the-record emails sent by Washington Post blogger Dave Weigel created a controversy that led to his resignation from the newspaper. One such email quoted by the Daily Caller stated the following:

“Tangentially related: Betsy McCaughey showed up at Grover Norquist’s conservative meeting today, massive spiral-bound health care bill in hand, and shook with rage as she promised that the ‘war’ was not over.”

“I’m still smiling.”

In a post defending Weigel, former RNC staffer Liz Mair describes how two high-profile conservatives replied to an RNC email citing McCaughey by arguing that she was not a credible source or deserving of coverage (a position I’ve repeatedly advocated):

Let me say straight off that there are a wide array of people who cover health care policy who are not liberals who do not view [McCaughey] as a credible individual and relish moments where she is discredited or undercut in some way, even if they disagree with a particular policy outcome or proposition. Let me tell you how I know this. When I worked at the RNC in 2008, I sent something out that cited McCaughey, and I directed it to a whole slew of bloggers who write on health care and health care policy, including many from actual medical and medically-oriented publications such as Web MD, and many who had expressed private and public support for much of what John McCain was advocating in terms of health care reform. Surprise, surprise, I got several emails back, including from two people who, if I disclosed their names (and I won’t because their comments were made off-the-record, and unlike JournoList members, I respect that), would be immediately recognized as conservative, about McCaughey and how she was not a credible source who should be quoted by X, Y, Z publication, and how health care debates would be better if she lost and/or disappeared.

This is an encouraging sign. Let’s hope these conservatives find the courage to speak up publicly soon.