"holes in their heads"

For some reason, my serial and combative commenter came to mind when I read this David Frum piece. I can't stand this man, you should know. He proudly took credit for originating the phrase "axis of evil" and has been one of the Bush soldiers who has undermined our country. But when he is right, he is right. When he says that conservatives have, in their attack on liberal elitism, completely dismissed competence as a requirement for office--he is right. If only he had that same thought in 2000.

And yet it also has to be admitted: Many of us on the conservative side have fed this monster. (Rightly) aghast at the abuse of expertise by liberal judges, liberal bureaucrats and liberal academics, we have sometimes over-reacted by denying the importance of expertise altogether.

" 'Heart' is crucial," one of George W. Bush's early evangelical supporters argued in a 2005 newspaper column. This same writer accused those conservatives who questioned Bush's "faith-based initiative" of having "holes in their souls."

So now instead of holes in our souls, we conservatives are getting candidates with holes in their heads.

Heh. So very true. Unfortunately, also true about his former boss, but I doubt that Frum would admit that. Not so true about the continue attack on "liberal judges" but that is right wing gospel.

For one, Frum is attacking Mike Huckabee, who he clearly thinks lacks the intellect or curiosity to be President. (yeah, once again, how did Bush pass?) And according to TPM, many on the right are wringing their hands about Huck's surge in the polls. Steve Benen and Kevin Drum suggest that the right is uncomfortable with Huckabee because he is the real deal--not some fake Christian who can speak to the churches. I have my doubts. Huckabee doesn't really suggest much more depth than Bush. He just speaks the faith language better.

I agree with Sully here. This is the right wing reaping the whirlwind they have been trying to sow this last 20 years. They have undermined government and competence to the point that they gave us Bush. Now they wonder why the right wing base prefers a person of faith to one who is competent.