What A [Bleeping] Joker

The dumbest columnist in America, after letting us know that he was right there, helping G.W. Bush get coronated as the Republican nominee back in 2000, has the audacity to tell us,

But it is hard to avoid the feeling that Obama has gained the nomination without fully earning it. Unlike Clinton or Bush, his intellectual contributions have been slight. The wave he rides may take him far - but he is not determining its direction.

Now granted, when you're as... oblivious? infatuated? ...as Michael Gerson, G.W. may look like an intellectual giant. But wake up, Michael. The fact that G.W. gave lip service to "compassionate conservatism", and made a few nodding gestures in that direction during his first term, neither constitutes an "intellectual contribution" nor even evidences that G.W. was actually a "compassionate conservative". He should have known from the way the Bush/Rove machine savaged John McCain in South Carolina that he was working for men without honor, and that any lip service they gave to "compassion" or "honor" would wilt in the face of political opportunism, cronyism, and self-dealing.

Barack Obama came through a grueling, competitive primary season, and won. G.W. Bush was picked as the Republican Party nominee before their primaries even started, his younger brother Jeb (the first choice) having been bypassed due to his having lost his first bid to be governor of Florida. Money rained down on his campaign - it seems funny now, with his popularity in the toilet and political candidates running for cover whenever he appears - but back then G.W. was viewed as an incredibly effective fund-raiser. The Republican Party did its best to squash McCain's campaign, and succeeded. At this time, G.W. had never held a real job. Since that time he has become one of the most vacationed Presidents in history, and is probably the only President who brags about not reading newspapers and going to bed by 10:00 PM - even on days the country is attacked. "Now watch this drive."



Some hero you have there, Michael.