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You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2008 / The Fall Guy

The Fall Guy

by John Cole|  October 12, 20081:08 pm| 55 Comments

This post is in: Election 2008, Clown Shoes

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Mike Luckovich cartoon.

***

A very wise man said the following all the way back in February:

So here is why they are sabotaging McCain- they want him to lose, or at the very least are hedging their bets. They want and need to paint him as not conservative, not pure enough to really represent the wildly successful (in their minds) conservatism that makes up the Bush dead-enders. That way, when they are blown out of the water in 2008, they don’t have to do any reflection, they don’t have to assess, re-prioritize, or re-think their policies. They can simply pin it all on McCain, claim he lost because he didn’t offer the voters a “real” conservative alternative, and get back to championing the end of the “death tax” and other important issues without skipping a beat.

In other words, McCain is the fall guy, and they are just distancing themselves from him.

Today, on Fox News, the finger-pointing begins:

The coming circular firing squad is going to be fun.

*** Update ***

Glenn notes what I missed while watching that clip- it was Bill Kristol who as recently as a few weeks ago was telling the McCain campaign to go negative. Now, here he is today, attacking them for using useless attacks. Bill Kristol- always wrong, never to blame. Nice work, if you can get it.

*** Update #2 ***

Sullivan catches another one:

“The Right can only be depressed as they watch Obama buoyed by a world credit crisis and the deep unpopularity of a president who campaigned but never governed like a conservative,” – David Freddoso, New York Post.

This is the same David Freddoso who, just a few weeks ago, was scandalized that Obama followed the law.

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Previous Post: « And the Loch Ness Monster Is a Liberal Plot
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Reader Interactions

55Comments

  1. 1.

    Rosali

    October 12, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    Bush was in Miami 2 days ago and the 3 Miami Republicans avoided him like the plague that he is.

    President Bush came to Miami on Friday to meet with Cuban-American leaders and raise money for GOP congressional candidates across the country.

    Noticeably absent: Miami’s three Cuban-American congressional members, all Republicans waging spirited reelection races with Democratic challengers who are trying to tie the incumbents to the Bush administration.

  2. 2.

    Laura W

    October 12, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    Billary Happy Together with Biden in PA around 3:15ish.
    I hope one of the cable channels plays it without blabbing over the opening remarks, the middle remarks, and the closing remarks.
    Yikes…Napa on fire. My mom and grandma and uncle live there.

  3. 3.

    trollhattan

    October 12, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    Did Wallace just accuse Krystol of using, "pure reason"?

    I have to go scrape what’s left of my brain off the walls now.

  4. 4.

    dewberry

    October 12, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    My dad and I have been betting for days on which folks are going to be the first and last off the sinking McTitanic. No one wants to take the blame, so there’s going to be a great deal of undermining going on.

    Remember the finger pointing we saw in the primary campaign when it became clear Team Hillary was heading for defeat? That was nuthin’.

    Thanks to awful Comcast, I still don’t have cable back after the hurricane. At least this will give me something to watch.

  5. 5.

    MattF

    October 12, 2008 at 1:26 pm

    Whoa. When Kristol starts sayin’ stuff like that, it’s major. I kinda sorta agree with him about the bizarre incompetence of the McCain campaign. Which is disorienting, to say the least, but there you are.

    I remember, back in my school days, when it dawned on me that the only way to be sure of doing well on a take-home exam is to get everything right. Obama’s been the take-home exam for the Republican party– they could beat him if they get everything right– if they are organized, determined and clear. At this point, they’re failing.

  6. 6.

    merrinc

    October 12, 2008 at 1:27 pm

    Thanks for reminding me why I try to avoid watching Fox News clips. What a big circle jerk. I feel dirty now.

  7. 7.

    eric

    October 12, 2008 at 1:28 pm

    the real issue to be decided in the next few weeks: who is the real leader of the GOP. Each of the candidates for the nomination was flawed in significant ways. There is no Congressional republican that has national gravtias. So, is it going to be Limbaugh? I think most people think of Huckabee as the best of a weak bunch, but he is not a "warrior" to lead an opposition.

    I am not even sure that the Murdochs of the world have the stomach for an all out demonization of Obama. If (and likely when) the economy improves and we leave Iraq (even if a less than easy departure), then Obama and the dems get the credit.

    If the economy tanks, they will blame it on W. In fact, I think that if the markets pick up Nov 5 and on, then Obama may be insulated a bit from the loons.

    I do not see a "GOP Moses" out there. I can only hope that God chooses Palin. This time I would bet on pharoah.

    eric

  8. 8.

    Jay Severin Has A Small Pen1s

    October 12, 2008 at 1:28 pm

    "The circular firing squad will be fun"

    Seriously…It’s a big circle and the American people will be in the middle. Sure, a bunch of idiot Republicans will go down but the collateral damage will be stunning.

  9. 9.

    gopher2b

    October 12, 2008 at 1:34 pm

    It is one of the worse run campaigns I’ve ever seen….AND they didn’t even get to take a picture of McCain on an oil rig because God stopped them. That would have been an awesome photo op for the Dems.

  10. 10.

    Liberaltarian

    October 12, 2008 at 1:35 pm

    Ew. I have to go to a spiritual retreat now because I listened to Bill Kristol and did not disagree. I am knocked off my foundation. Rats. I hate it when that happens. ;)

  11. 11.

    Brian J

    October 12, 2008 at 1:35 pm

    Whoa. When Kristol starts sayin’ stuff like that, it’s major. I kinda sorta agree with him about the bizarre incompetence of the McCain campaign. Which is disorienting, to say the least, but there you are.

    Even though I think he’s probably one of the most affable conservative presences on television, I don’t usually follow his writing. He’s a lot more tolerable than Fred Barnes or some goon like Hannity, but I never make it a point to read what Kristol has written. That said, he’s gotten the reputation as being another Dick Morris, someone who is never right, ever. This leads me to believe that McCain’s campaign is going to see a surge of support, that while it appears to be, as Kristol said, "stupid and pathetic," it’s going to look brilliant in retrospect.

    Seriously though, he’s absolutely right. There’s a lot to be said how absurd the strategy of McCain’s campaign is. It’s particularly bizarre when you think of how much goodwill McCain came into the campaign with. He may not have been liked by the conservative base, but he had good will from almost everyone else. He could have used this support and masked a blatantly conservative agenda as a way of both appealing to the base and to everyone else, in the same way that Edwards used his Southern persona to offer the most liberal agenda while appearing to be more of a moderate. He could have run a largely positive and/or issue-oriented campaign, bringing on Palin as the exact opposite of what she is now. If he did that, he might have had a good shot to win, or at least a better shot that he does now.

  12. 12.

    El Cid

    October 12, 2008 at 1:39 pm

    I heartily encourage the Republican Party to continue being a party of nutbag right wing ultra extremists, so that their future at best lies in holding a few seats in the deepest South and a few other populist right wing strong holds like in the West.

    I hope Kristol’s fantasy comes true.

    Because I think that in reality, the Republican Party in the rest of the country is about to say "F*** YOU" to being led by a bunch of Southern & Western rednecks who have run the party for the last 30 years.

    I don’t think that when a moderate conservative who’s against some Democratic spending plan or what not decides to run for office in the Northeast or Midwest or in California or Oregon or Washington, he’s going to listen to the Kristol / Palin / Ultra-Right nutbags telling him how he’s got to be 100% full bore crazy just like their hero George Bush Jr. was in 2002 and 2003 when he was Ronald Reagan II to these guys.

    No, I would not be surprised if the Kristol types get really surprised when most of the GOP in the country says, ‘F*** you, we’re tired of g** d*** losing, and if you think we’re being too ‘liberal’ or not ‘conservative’ enough, you can go jump in a lake’.

  13. 13.

    Polish the Guillotines

    October 12, 2008 at 1:42 pm

    I remember, back in my school days, when it dawned on me that the only way to be sure of doing well on a take-home exam is to get everything right. Obama’s been the take-home exam for the Republican party—they could beat him if they get everything right—if they are organized, determined and clear. At this point, they’re failing.

    The problem with this argument is it completely ignores reality. "Get[ting] everything right" starts with good governance and policy decisions that inspire people to vote for you.

    Unless the Republicans have a time machine that can take them back eight years so they can govern this country in a responsible, competent manner, "get[ting] everything right" is a train that’s not only left the station, but run completely off the tracks.

    They’re failing now because they’ve failed for eight solid years, and you can’t run for re-election on an "ignore the failure" campaign.

    To use your analogy, the Republicans slept through class all semester, never cracked a book, didn’t do any of the homework, and now are shocked that they’re getting an "F".

  14. 14.

    Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)

    October 12, 2008 at 1:43 pm

    Fuck. This is terrible news.

    If Kristol’s record holds true (i.e. never, ever right about anything), then Obama’s campaign is in major trouble, and McCain is a political super-genius who is about to run off with the election.

  15. 15.

    demkat620

    October 12, 2008 at 1:44 pm

    You know, I could feel sorry for McCain if he hadn’t shown himself to be a complete dick.

    He has no idea what a pariah he’s about to become. Bush won’t be hated with as much ferocity after he leaves as McCain will for losing.

  16. 16.

    demkat620

    October 12, 2008 at 1:49 pm

    From Halperin

    Michigan GOP chair: “…We are running out of time. Our message, the campaign’s message, isn’t connecting.”

    What is their message? I wasn’t aware they had one other than "Maverick!"

  17. 17.

    Tim

    October 12, 2008 at 1:50 pm

    Who or what is that individual in the female-designated business attire? It reminds me of a Velociraptor in a wig.

    It is downright freaky that after the last eight years even Fox News allows Bill Krissssssssstol to opine about anything but the level of humidity beneath his rock.

  18. 18.

    Deborah

    October 12, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    The rare bit of news that actually is excellent news….for Hillary! The tell-all books about her campaign are going to be small potatoes compared to the "what ever happened to the honorable John McCain and his plan to run on the issues?" memoirs.

  19. 19.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    October 12, 2008 at 2:00 pm

    What is their message?

    ZOMFG, OBAMA – TERRORIST!

  20. 20.

    gbear

    October 12, 2008 at 2:02 pm

    Whoa. When Kristol starts sayin’ stuff like that, it’s major. I kinda sorta agree with him about the bizarre incompetence of the McCain campaign. Which is disorienting, to say the least, but there you are.

    Don’t for a second believe that you can agree with anything that is coming out of Kristol’s mouth. Like the main post says, Kristol is only running away so that he can point back and say ‘at least I’m not them‘. He most likely still sees Palin as a rising star and the future of his brand of politics, and he’s still a complete dickhead. The enemy of your enemy is not your friend.

  21. 21.

    Dennis - SGMM

    October 12, 2008 at 2:09 pm

    What is their message?
    According to this piece from Politico, McCain is about to unveil a killer economic plan for the middle class. Maverick that he is, McCain is going to promote cuts in capital gains and dividend taxes. That’s certainly a fresh idea – especially from a Republican.
    This points out the crying need for the campaign equivalent of the mandatory eight count.

  22. 22.

    Prematurely Grey

    October 12, 2008 at 2:10 pm

    @eric:
    I’d put my money on Newt. While the failure of the bailout (take 1) was damaging in some way (we’ll need history to tell us what way that may have been, other than to McCain’s "campaign"), it was a triumph of his ability to lead GOP opinion. Where’s Romney been on all of this? Riding on top of his car with the dog, trying not to kill himself over the loss of all the rest of his money?

  23. 23.

    comrade wingnuts to iraq

    October 12, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    crass joke heard today…

    Q: What’s the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull?

    A: A pitbull eats its retarded puppies.

  24. 24.

    ThymeZone

    October 12, 2008 at 2:28 pm

    Wait a minute … is this the same Kristol who only days ago was egging on McCain and Palin to go deeper into the attacks …. now criticizing them because the the attacks are not working?

    Or is this his evil twin? Could this motherfucker be any more of a pathological liar? Good Christ on toast points.

  25. 25.

    JGabriel

    October 12, 2008 at 2:29 pm

    Eric:

    I am not even sure that the Murdochs of the world have the stomach for an all out demonization of Obama.

    FYI: Apparently, rumor has it, Murdoch’s wife and one of his kids are pro-Obama.

    That said, Ailes is still in charge of Fox News, and there’s likely to be some tension between Ailes’ partisan goals and any attempts by Murdoch to moderate Fox’s approach.

    So if Obama wins, I’d say there’s a possibility that Ailes will be out the door within a year.

    .

  26. 26.

    calipygian

    October 12, 2008 at 2:35 pm

    @MattF:

    Bill Kristol is in the idiotic "Free Sarah!" school of "Goddam, McCain is fuckin’ up!".

    Bill Kristol fails to realize that the more she opens her mouth, the more sane people think she’s insane.

  27. 27.

    Liberaltarian

    October 12, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    @comrade wingnuts to iraq

    That’s an insult to crass.

  28. 28.

    Martin

    October 12, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    I think you have it wrong. They’re jettisoning McCain to save the Senate. Right now, anything GOP is toxic. They’re hoping to make a case for conservatism through the Senate races given that both Bush and McCain are lost causes.

    If the GOP loses the filibuster, the Democrats can take credit for everything positive thing that happens in the next 2-4 years and blame every lingering failure on Bush, which the public will likely accept given his polling. It’s probably more important that they keep 40 seats than they get the Presidency, and I think you are seeing the GOP play that out.

    Their only move with the filibuster is to stop everything – good and bad. The GOP only comes out of this with any strength if the nation goes to hell with a President Obama. They’ll wreck the country in order to save the party.

  29. 29.

    libarbarian

    October 12, 2008 at 2:38 pm

    I lovedd this quote from This NYP editorial:

    But a true conservative might also have shown voters an alternative rather than someone who incites "I agree with John" in the debates; someone to put Obama’s left-wing policies in stark relief.

    Translation: If a liberal agrees with what you are saying then it can’t be good.

  30. 30.

    JGabriel

    October 12, 2008 at 2:39 pm

    Brian J:

    There’s a lot to be said how absurd the strategy of McCain’s campaign is.

    That’s ridiculous. The McCain campaign is running a very disciplined and strategically (as opposed to merely tactically) brilliant campaign, especially in their intense focus on the swing states of Iowa and Pennsylvania. Philadelphia in particular is ripe for flipping to the Republican side and …

    Why is everyone pointing at me and laughing?

    .

  31. 31.

    Walker

    October 12, 2008 at 2:48 pm

    Their only move with the filibuster is to stop everything – good and bad. The GOP only comes out of this with any strength if the nation goes to hell with a President Obama. They’ll wreck the country in order to save the party.

    The fillibuster can be removed. It is a matter of Senate protocol, not a part of the Constitution. And it only requires a majority vote to remove it. Several times the Republicans threatened to do just that when the Democrats were the minority party.

    If the choice is between sliding into an economic abyss and removing the fillibuster so that something can be done, I hope that the Senate would make the right choice.

  32. 32.

    cain

    October 12, 2008 at 2:51 pm

    Pat Buchanan: Can McCain win? With my track record of running as the pitchfork wingnut who lost, and lost badly, why is anyone even asking me? Believe, me, I am as puzzled as you as to why people care what I think. I guess they assume I have insight into Sarah Palin’s hate stuff.

    FTW! This is why I like Pat Buchanan.

    h/t KOS

  33. 33.

    Lesley

    October 12, 2008 at 3:24 pm

    The coming circular firing squad is going to be fun.

    Trouble is, they’re always firing blanks and no one gets killed. I insist they use real bullets.

  34. 34.

    kommrade jakevich

    October 12, 2008 at 3:30 pm

    They want and need to paint him as not conservative, not pure enough to really represent the wildly successful (in their minds) conservatism that makes up the Bush dead-enders.

    Let’s hope those fReichtards duke it with the fReichtards who are now saying Bush is too liberal.

    Man these people suck. I know I should worry about what will happen if they stay in power, but they’re just sooo funny.

  35. 35.

    D-Chance.

    October 12, 2008 at 3:48 pm

    Post and quote taken from Sully:

    —
    “The Right can only be depressed as they watch Obama buoyed by a world credit crisis and the deep unpopularity of a president who campaigned but never governed like a conservative," – David Freddoso, New York Post.
    —

    Bush is the Fall Guy. He was never a conservative, don’t ya know. It’s just that our Cornerite took almost 8 years to publicly note that little factoid.

    So Bush isn’t conservative, the media is liberal, McCain isn’t conservative… we conservatives are victims of the Great Left-Wing Conspiracy.

  36. 36.

    JGabriel

    October 12, 2008 at 4:05 pm

    Cain:

    This is why I like Pat Buchanan.

    Sorry, dude, but that’s a very snarky and caricaturized summary of what Buchanan actually said, and doesn’t really resemble his essay at all – except to the extent that he recommend Palin be allowed to continue "taking the heat" and attacking Obama.

    .

  37. 37.

    Comrade Trotsky

    October 12, 2008 at 4:05 pm

    When Kristol gives up on McCain you know it’s nearly over. Looks like he’s packing his bags for exile. And good riddance.

    Seriously, though, it would obviously be far, far better for a President Obama (cautious optimism; don’t want to jinx us) if the GOP doesn’t engage in any serious reflection and takes reactionary turn in 2012. The nightmare scenario for us is a revitalized, centrist GOP led by Mike Huckabee. He’s the one we should worry about.

  38. 38.

    Clor

    October 12, 2008 at 4:15 pm

    @demkat620:

    You forgot tax cuts. Oh, and Obama’s a one-man terrorist camp, doncha know?

  39. 39.

    D-Chance.

    October 12, 2008 at 4:22 pm

    Listen for the Limbaugh 3-hour rant on November 5th. Remember his "I no longer have to carry the water" speech just 2 years ago?

    There won’t be enough buses to cover all the bodies hurled underneath come The Morning After in EIB-land…

  40. 40.

    calipygian

    October 12, 2008 at 4:27 pm

    @D-Chance.: Either that or there is going to be a Greyhound on the moon, the bodies will be stacked so high.

  41. 41.

    cynic

    October 12, 2008 at 4:28 pm

    Whatever its past accomplishments, the conservative movement no longer kindles any “ironic points of light.” It has produced fewer outstanding books even as it has taken over more of the intellectual and political landscape. This trend will only continue. Worse, no reckoning will be made: they hope in vain who expect conservatives to take responsibility for the actual consequences of their actions. Conservatives have no use for the ethic of responsibility; they seek only to “see to it that the flame of pure intention is not quelched.” The movement remains a fine place to make a career, but for wisdom one must look elsewhere.

          ~Austin W. Bramwell, The American Conservative

  42. 42.

    burnspbesq

    October 12, 2008 at 4:37 pm

    Anyone who claims to be a conservative and hasn’t bolted from the Republican Party has no idea what it means to be a conservative.

    Those people think Edmund Burke was the title character on "Burke’s Law."

    There is no conservative party in American politics. The Democratic party is two parties – one center-right, one leftish – uneasily coexisting under one roof. The Republican party is nothing but fascists, crony capitalists, and theocrats.

  43. 43.

    eyeball

    October 12, 2008 at 4:40 pm

    Bill Kristol is the most demented, dishonest jackass i have ever seen.

  44. 44.

    Zuzu's Petals

    October 12, 2008 at 4:42 pm

    Anybody think we should be worried that the Gallup tracking poll only shows a 4 pt difference with likely voters (based on current intent and past voting behavior)?

    Polling Report

  45. 45.

    paul of the clue-by-four

    October 12, 2008 at 5:09 pm

    It seems to me that they don’t do circular firing squads over there, though: they rather specialize in the other kind, don’t they?

    Put more plainly: do you really think they’ll blame anything other than a stab-in-the-back media for their electoral defeat? I mean, they put a picture of Palin on the cover of Newsweek… and you could see crow’s feet, for goshsakes.

  46. 46.

    Brachiator

    October 12, 2008 at 5:22 pm

    @eric:

    the real issue to be decided in the next few weeks: who is the real leader of the GOP. Each of the candidates for the nomination was flawed in significant ways. There is no Congressional republican that has national gravtias. So, is it going to be Limbaugh? I think most people think of Huckabee as the best of a weak bunch, but he is not a "warrior" to lead an opposition.

    Newt is just around the corner. And no one should underestimate the GOP’s power to regroup. It will be interesting to see whether Jindall becomes a national presence. Mitt Romney, strangely, has accumulated some support as a Republican wise head.

    Even though I think he’s probably one of the most affable conservative presences on television, I don’t usually follow his writing. He’s a lot more tolerable than Fred Barnes or some goon like Hannity, but I never make it a point to read what Kristol has written.

    Kristol’s affability masks a vile neocon amorality. As others have noted, his remarks about Team McCain’s incompetence expresses his annoyance that they did not mount an effectivly negative campaign.

    Having been one of the chief cheerleaders for Bush’s insane and murderous Iraq policy, if there were ever a War Crimes tribunal, Kristol would have earned himself a prime seat in the dock.

  47. 47.

    jrg

    October 12, 2008 at 6:09 pm

    The McCain campaign missed the opportunity to go negative a long time ago. He still would have lost, but the GOP would not be looking at so much down ticket damage if they had stuck with a racially safe but negative strategy from the beginning (like the "inexperienced" line).

    The only thing McCain can do now is try to articulate a reasonable, centrist vision, but he’s not cognitively equipped to do that… and Palin would undermine him if he did. These two are a liability to congressional Republicans.

    Karma’s a bitch.

  48. 48.

    RP

    October 12, 2008 at 6:51 pm

    I hate — hate! — to defend Kristol, but I don’t think Greenwald’s point is entirely fair. Kristol’s argument isn’t inconsistent with his earlier position that McCain should go negative. He’s saying that, once McCain decided to go after Ayers, he should have gone all the way and had the guts to raise it at the debate. As it is, he’s just fumbling around with no coherent message or strategy.

  49. 49.

    Calouste

    October 12, 2008 at 8:39 pm

    Regarding Republican leaders:

    Jindal is receiving collateral damage from the bombs Palin is throwing at Obama. Neither him or any other non-pasty white candidate will be able to win the Republican primaries for at least a decade.

    Huckabee could be a very serious contender for president. Just not as long as the GOP exists in its current form.

  50. 50.

    Redhand

    October 12, 2008 at 8:41 pm

    Bill Kristol. Synonym for a complete fucking idiot.

  51. 51.

    St Paul E Wog

    October 12, 2008 at 9:33 pm

    Gallup poll has been consistantly high for McGrampy
    http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/08-us-pres-ge-mvo.php

  52. 52.

    OriGuy

    October 12, 2008 at 10:05 pm

    The fillibuster can be removed. It is a matter of Senate protocol, not a part of the Constitution. And it only requires a majority vote to remove it. Several times the Republicans threatened to do just that when the Democrats were the minority party.

    I’m not sure removing it entirely is desirable. It is one of the few ways that a minority party can block a truly bad bill supported by the majority. However, I would like to see a return to the traditional filibuster; a group of Senators talking until the majority gives in so that something else can get done. This wimpy gentleman’s agreement that all you have to do is say "I call filibuster" is the problem. Bring back the mattresses!

  53. 53.

    jcricket

    October 12, 2008 at 10:06 pm

    Jindal is receiving collateral damage from the bombs Palin is throwing at Obama. Neither him or any other non-pasty white candidate will be able to win the Republican primaries for at least a decade.forever

    Seriously, do we think that young or middle aged non-white people are heading towards the Republican party? Gays? Jews?

    The right captures some portion of these votes, but the trendlines under 40 are pretty darn clear. And that’s where future leaders and candidates for each party come from.

    The Republicans will be the party of white bigots, anti-tax/government zealots and religiously conservative first-generation immigrants.

    Democrats get everyone else.

  54. 54.

    Beej

    October 13, 2008 at 12:45 am

    zuzu’s petals,

    I don’t think past voting behavior is going to have as much to do with actual voting this year as it has in years past. So many new voters have been registered, and so many people have been energized by the Obama campaign that I think past voting patterns are a very poor indicator of voter turnout this time around. And then, of course, there’s the cell phone factor.

Comments are closed.

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  1. October 12, 2008 « Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes? says:
    October 12, 2008 at 3:30 pm

    […] in this movement as they seek to blame each other for what has happened. As John Cole puts it: “The coming circular firing squad is going to be fun.” It’s also likely to be protracted, […]

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