Is Mike Huckabee the coolest Presidential candidate ever?

I mean, I don't agree with him about anything politically. I'm pro-choice. I'm very in favor of the Establishment clause (as well as the traditional understanding of that clause and not the "what the Founding Fathers really meant is they hella loved Jebus and just wouldn't let the government determine which type of Protestant Christianity you were required to subscribe to" version). I think that if you don't believe in the theory of evolution that you're ideologically addled, blinded, or stupid, to the point that you are completely unqualified to be President.

But it's pretty sweet to be able to call in Walker Texas Ranger to go nuke on your opponents' collective ass. I like it.

And I've endured my fair share of Chuck Norris jokes.

Peggy Noonan slap-down

To some extent, Peggy Noonan is responsible for the vacuity and empty flag waving and cross bearing of today's political rhetoric. Not that demagoguery are anything new or unique to our time, but today's Bush speeches and Thompson declarations owe as much to her speeches for Reagan as any other influence. Nowadays her posture as some sort of "reasonable" elder statesperson simply because she's not quite as rabid and reactionary as today's bunch of Republican neo-conservatives is incredibly irritating, since she's just as annoying as ever and only benefits by comparison to the likes of Tom Tancredo, Dick Cheney, Ann Coulter, and Michael Savage.

So it's nice to see Glenn Greenwald do a full-on takedown:

What a stupid and vapid woman this is, but respected and admired by our media class because she fits right in with them -- endlessly impressed by her own sophistication, maturity and insight while drooling out platitudes one never hears except in seventh-grade cafeterias and on our political talk shows. As always, this isn't worth noting because the adolescent stupidity on display here is unique to Noonan, but precisely because it isn't. This is how our national elections are decided: by people like her, spewing things like this.

Nice.

Scrambly Fox News Anchors

First, I think it's very interesting in and of itself that a rising Republican is taking on Huckabee's absolutely shameful (sincere–I don't think he's pandering–but shameful) Christmas message. This is a direct slap at those who've elevated religion to a fetish while co-opting the modern Republican Party (who's co-opted who is certainly a matter for discussion).

But what I think is really interesting is what happens at 1:19 into the clip. The Fox talking head is absolutely compelled to interject and "clear up" Paul's fascism jab. Oh, Heaven's no, that's not what he's talking about! Fox, fair and balanced, absolutely no dogs in that fight. Excellent work.