Methinks Rush Doth Protest Too Much

The siege warfare aimed at John McCain by Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the conservative talk show set may be more a function of economic self interest than political principles.

In the way that writers like me whose bread and butter is mocking other people loved Mitt Romney, a democratic president, especially another Clinton administration, would be the gift that keeps giving for right wing radio. Think of all the Hillary hating rants Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly would miss out on if McCain were president. If my living depended on a steady diet of partisan polemics fueled by righteous outrage, I’d be salivating at the prospect of President Hillary Clinton.

Why do they hate McCain so much? “It’s the economy stupid.”

Conservatives: How Do We Hate McCain? Let Us Count the Ways

The Lazarus campaign of John McCain now sees the attack on its right flank heat up. The best part is that his continued success reveals the relative lack of power wielded by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, as evidence by their failed full court press to gin up support for Mitt Romney.

Interesting to look at how reporters from other countries are covering the race. The Euros know why the hate us and most especially our current president, but they seem to be fascinated by how much we despise each other. Case in point from the Guardian’s James Ridgeway:

“In today's GOP, libertarians who want to keep government out of bedrooms as well as boardrooms are at odds with the fundamentalist Bible-thumpers who are glad to use the power of the central government to criminalise everything they don't like, with abortions and gay sex at the top of this list.”

More and video available here:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/usa/2008/02/last_man_standing_mccains_batt.html

Conservatives talking about sitting out the general election may be blowing smoke at this point. Nothing will unite them behind their candidate like the thought of Hillary Clinton in the Oval Office.