The base of the Republican Party -- a dwindling but still significant group -- clings to a handful of pseudo-facts that don't hold up to serious scrutiny but that still occupy a central place in GOP ideology.
In the midst of a severe financial crisis -- a meltdown fueled by clueless homebuyers, greedy lenders and money-grubbing financiers -- some observers have decided to blame "minorities" for the mess. Though wiser heads have proclaimed the emergency too serious for partisan gamesmanship, some in the conservative commentariat still can't resist playing the race card.
Some members of the chattering classes -- pinot-swilling, arugula-chomping snobs -- seem to think Sarah Palin is not qualified to be vice president. Well, that's not fair.
The high priests of capitalism are in sackcloth and ashes, their belief in markets shattered, their catechism of risk-taking renounced. From Wall Street to Detroit, once-devout believers in unfettered private enterprise are running from their religion. Now that their greed has brought the economy to the brink of depression, they want government help.
Lipstick. Pig. Palin. Pathetic.
John McCain has an impressive personal story. Imprisoned by the North Vietnamese for five and a half years, mostly in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton," he showed great courage, resilience and reservoirs of strength. It is the central narrative of his life, a theme he returns to again and again.