Something weird is going on in Washington. First, Ari Fleischer, who normally does a fantastic job, makes one of the dumbest statements in recent memory by a Press Secretary. No one enjoys kicking around Clinton more than me, but you can not blame this wave of violence on Clinton any more than you can blame the 9/11 attacks on poverty or on our Israel policy. Repeat after me, Ari:
Suicidal maniacs with no regard for life who strap explosives on their backs and blow up innocent jews in Sbarros are responsible for the violence.
Say it several times until it sticks, Ari. It takes talent to make Joe Lockhart look good, and this gaffe just did it. Go here for Ted Barlow’s take.
The second weird thing going on is all this Fritz Hollings mania. I am utterly convinced he has lost his damned mind, and he is just all OVER the news, whether it be about Enron, attacking Bush (usually about something regarding Enron), or playing patsy to corporate interests regarding copyrights. Steve den Beste beats up on Hollings a bit here. Instapundit has some links here. William Quick has some remarks here. There are more out there, but I need to head to the office.
At any rate, what is Hollings drinking? He comes out of seemingly nowhere, and now he is lead imbecile in almost every headline.