TONIGHT'S SMALLISH LOSER: DUNCAN HUNTER (YES, HE WAS ONE OF THE PATHETIC PYGMIES)

The Dukester won't be getting a pardon from his best bud Duncan

Thers has the funniest post of the day week over at FDL about Thompson's imminent departure from the national scene-- Enjoy the SchadenFred.

Over at Red State one of the inmates has written a rather mawkish obituary for the Fred Thompson campaign, which is a bit like shutting the barn door after the horse fell asleep in the hay watching Matlock.

The Thompson campaign has been fascinating to watch, as would be any desperate attempt to slap a saddle on Grandpa. Fascinating, but disturbing, like one of those sadistic Japanese game shows. The constant equestrian metaphors alone were enough to make the sane queasy, and they still haven't stopped with them.

And the craziest segment of far right extremists-- you know, the off the chart ones-- are already dancing on The Huckster's grave. Meanwhile The Huckster partisans are blaming Grandpa Fred for his inability to beat back McCain in South Carolina. Is Frederick of Hollywood in? Out? That tired speech to nowhere seemed to indicate he'd stay in. I guess he's supposed to protect McCain's right flank until the Huckabee shibboleth is slain.

So the only one who has definitively dropped out is the one who never had any chance and never even had any legitimate reason to run: corrupt California wingnut, Duncan Hunter.

Zero percent is pretty tough to swallow and keep swallowing for an ego-mad politician. Duncan Hunter, the most overtly corrupt of the pygmies is dropping out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination after back to back drubbings today in Nevada and South Carolina, where virtually no one took him seriously, just like in Iowa, New Hampshire and Wyoming.

After neo-Nazi Tom Tancredo abandoned his Know Nothing jihad, his viciously anti-immigrant agenda failing to gain him any traction, Hunter grabbed the anti-immigrant mantle. It worked as well for him as it did for Tancredo. He said the failed campaign, which was run by Bay Buchanan, was, he said, "a lot of fun." I bet it wasn't fun for him to have his ass kicked by Ron Paul.

I always felt that the only reason Hunter even got into the race was to avoid being indicted as part of the same scandal that sent one of his closest friends and allies, Duke Cunningham, to prison. Cunningham, Jerry Lewis and Hunter worked together to milk defense contractors. Lewis is under intense federal investigation; Cunningham is in prison, waiting for Bush to pardon him; and Hunter... has been shielding himself from criminal system scrutiny by making believe he was a serious candidate for President of the United States. Hopefully the investigations can get under way now.