Long an enthusiastic supporter of Republican politicians and mass deregulation, the Wall Street Journal opinion page rose to the defense of another controversial figure Tuesday: recently incarcerated girl-about-town Lindsay Lohan. The editorial by self-described "party girl" Rebecca Macatee left little doubt where the paper's loyalties rest when it comes to LiLo v. California. Writes Macatee:

I didn't star in a feature film when I was 11 years old, or support my family financially before I'd even hit puberty. I don't have a father who talks publicly about my intimate struggles in order to make a few bucks. Paparazzi don't stalk me 24 hours a day to capture my every mistake. And tabloids don't dominate newsstands by exaggerating my wild partying. In other words, there's not a cruel cultural obsession with rejoicing in the apparent unraveling of my life and career.

... [E]ating disorders, alcoholism, drug addiction and apparent psychological illness should not be laughed at by the American public. Since I can't guarantee that I wouldn't have succumbed to similar demons had I lived a life like Ms. Lohan's, I won't gawk at her condition, and I will root for her to get the help she desperately needs.

Somewhere in Australia, Rupert Murdoch is nodding happily.

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Ray Gustini