Say hello to Media Matters’ Senior Fellow Eric Boehlert, a huge fan of BigGovernment’s Andrew Breitbart. Born in Utica, NY, he spent his youth in Utica and Gilford, Conn. just outside of New Haven. “Small town suburban America, middle class, jock, lots of sports,” Boehlert told me in a phone interview.  He went to University of Massachusetts where he studied Middle Eastern Studies. “Intensive Arabic for two years,” he said. “It was mandatory. I could not quite get the hang of it.” So he abandoned the Middle Eastern Arabic phase and entered the music chapter of his life. Billboard Magazine: three years. Rolling Stone staff reporter: four years. Salon: five years. He momentarily contemplated joining HuffPost, but instead opted for Media Matters where he has worked for five years.

Feuding with Brietbart: The fighting began a year ago when Media Matters helped debunk the Acorn pimp hoax. “He’s got a pretty thin skin for someone in his line of work,” Boehlert said of Breitbart. “That’s when the crazy incoherent tweets started.” Last summer the pair came face to face on the set of ABC’s “GMA” where George Stephanopoulos was interviewing them. The interaction was “civil,” said Boehlert. Not overly, but they shook hands. These days they engage in daily sharp mocking on Twitter. “I think he’s sort of a chronic liar, so it’s not like I grudglingly admire what he does,” he says. “I continue to be in bewilderment and shock with the stuff he does. It’s not like I can’t sleep at night because I hate the guy or am plotting his demise. It’s not like it’s an all-consuming rivalry.” In reality, Boehlert said, he’d be thrilled if Breitbart closed up shop and built model airplanes. In summation, “I think he is a source of pollution.”

If you were a carbonated beverage which would you be? San Pellegrino Aranciata

How often do you Google yourself? I have a Google alert for my name. It pops up around 11 p.m., so before I go to bed I get to read  all nasty things conservatives wrote about me online that day. It’s quite cathartic.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever said to an editor (or vice versa)? “We’re holding  your story.” Rolling Stone editors used to say that all the time when they’d lose an ad or two for the issue, last-minute. That’s what was so liberating about moving online to Salon; stories never got held due to shrinking issues.

Who is your favorite working journalist? Word-for-word, probably James Wolcott at Vanity Fair and Anthony Lane at The New Yorker.

Do you have a favorite word? Penultimate

Find out more about Boehlert…Learn what recently made him cry.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

C-SPAN has put together this montage of a few people around town who aren’t quite affected by today’s Twitter outtages…

Non or infrequent Tweeters include Bill Press, Mark Shields, National Review‘s Jonah Goldberg, ABC’s Sam Donaldson, Helen Thomas, CBS’ Bob Schieffer, The Nation‘s Christopher Hayes, VF‘s James Wolcott and Newsweek‘s Jon Meacham.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.