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- The 26 Democrats in the Senate who voted against using the reconciliation process to pass climate change legislation are truly without shame. I can understand how some of them are simply on a short leash when it comes to voting against the energy interests that dominate their states and finance their campaigns, but not all of them are in that situation. Instead we're getting pleas from Democrats like Russ Feingold who ostensibly believe climate change is a threat to the world but who also believe that preserving the 60-vote "tradition" is more important. What a debased lot.
- On the subject of climate change, it's hardly news that George Will has no idea what he's talking about. But it is noteworthy that House Republicans are so insistent on deliberately misrepresenting scientific research -- even when the mendacity has been identified and explained -- and that they would make official the position that they're right and mister smarty-pants MIT scientist is wrong.
- Less ignorant than your average member of the House GOP caucus, apparently, are the American people, who demonstrate a fairly good grasp of the basics of the financial crisis in this Pew survey. Steve Benen isn't convinced the survey was a good test of political knowledge and brings up the uncomfortable fact that "11% of Americans still think President Obama is a Muslim, which is practically unchanged since the presidential campaign. About one-fifth of all white evangelical Protestants continue to buy into this obvious falsehood."
- John McCain has circumvented the usual channels for producing a Senate version of the GOP's alternative budget and it's apparently borne of the belief that the exceedingly poor grasp of economic knowledge he demonstrated during the campaign had nothing to do with him losing the election and that Americans are now ready to embrace the Maverick's budget priorities. Eric Cantor, meanwhile, thinks Democrats are "overreacting" to the economic collapse.
- Who says bipartisanship is dead? Reaching across party lines, Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) have concluded that the most pressing issue our country faces is making sure the richest 1 percent of Americans don't have to suffer the ignominious humiliation known as the estate tax and have introduced an amendment that would de-fang it. What, were the Waltons threatening to go Galt on Lincoln and withhold campaign support?
- Adding to the list their apparent belief that some Obama Justice Department nominees want to institute Sharia law in America, it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the country's right-wing cranks. Whether it's the birthers' invocation of the Magna Carta, Michele Bachmann's bizarre notion that one can "choose" to be a slave, the Tea Party Manifesto's smug confidence in its appeal, or Glenn Beck's inability to comprehend the nature of totalitarianism, it's clear that conservatives face permanent minority status unless they start publicly disassociating themselves from these lunatics.
- Remainders: Patrick Leahy pronounces the truth commission dead (or at least in a vegetative state); the Alaska GOP wants a do-over election; Karl Rove needs to add some new material to his comedy routine; Tim Pawlenty holds Al Franken's Senate seat in his hands; Newt Gingrich has opinions on everything from third parties to the military benefit of lasers and Obama's plans for the nations' churches; and Arlen Specter is already running negative ads against Pat Toomey.
--Mori Dinauer
