GOP DEBATE: OUT COME THE CLAWS AND FANGS

And if you're from NY, you know it's not that far-fetched

Tomorrow's NY Times seems to claim that Howard Wolfson, the Hillary campaign's chief flack, works with right-wing closet case Matt Drudge in shaping online news in a way that helps the campaign and hurts her more progressive rivals. Drudge is covering his bases in case, as looks likely, the GOP self-destructs in 2008. I wonder if she'll invite him to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom before Arianna or Markos. Probably; she probably has more in common with Drudge than either of them.

As for the GOP self-destructing, last night's mud wrestling match in Orlando, did none of the pathetic pygmies™ any good. The claws came out and the viciousness they usually reserve for Democrats was on full display as each desperately tried to prove he was more of a right-wing extremist than the others-- although there was more than enough typically mean-spirited Republican vitriol left over for Hillary too.

The debate stood out for the intensity and personal nature of the exchanges, as Republicans tried to distinguish themselves two and a half months before the first votes are cast-- a tactic that risks exposing some of the flaws that Republican voters say they see in the leading candidates.

First on the attack was sleepy ole Frederick of Hollywood who someone must have given a dose of something, judging by his passion level tonight as compared to his past lackluster appearances. Going right after front runner Giuliani, he informed the audience that the ex-NYC mayor "believes in federal funding for abortion. He believes in sanctuary cities. He’s for gun control. He supported Mario Cuomo, a liberal Democrat, against a Republican who was running for governor, then opposed the governor’s tax cuts when he was there. So I simply disagree with him on those issues. And he sides with Hillary Clinton on each of those issues I just mentioned.”

Giuliani's defense against Thompson was less than convincing. "Fred was the single biggest obstacle to tort reform in the United States Senate. He stood with Democrats over and over again.” Once there was blood in the water, they all felt they were in their element. McCain attacked everyone, saying only he-- presumably because he was a prisoner of war in Hanoi-- was capable of being commander in chief. And with a special swipe at Romney, although it fit Giuliani as well, he said "I didn't manage for profit; I led for patriotism."

With Fox News calling the nasty get together under their own auspices a "cat fight," Huckabee likened the whole sordid mess to a "demolition derby" instead of a debate, but on stage no one called Romney on his compulsion to lie whenever he moves his lips.

There were some exaggerations and misstatements of facts. Mr. Romney, for instance, spoke of his record in Massachusetts and said, “We solved the problem in health care in our state, not by having government take it over the way Hillary Clinton would.”

But Mrs. Clinton’s plan calls for creating new options for buying private or public insurance at affordable rates, requiring everyone to obtain insurance, and providing subsidies and tax credits to small businesses and individuals who cannot afford it. She has said the plan would not be run by the government.

And Mr. Romney’s plan in Massachusetts bore some similarities to Mrs. Clinton’s proposal, in that it also required people to have health insurance. Mr. Romney’s campaign said his proposed federal health care plan did not include mandated coverage, though the plan he helped introduce in his state included some mandates.

Ron Paul seems to be selling Hillary to the Republican audience-- who appear to like her policies a lot more than they seem to like the American people:



Crooks & Liars caught the tenor of the hateful minority of imbeciles and fascists the pygmies™ were trying to appeal to-- the 24% of Americans who still think Bush is doing a good job.