Some thoughts:

It’s often overlooked — thanks in large part to the Clinton “legacy” — that such misbehavior is almost always accompanied by corruption in other spheres. Insistence by Clinton’s defenders that his various lady troubles were “personal matters” succeeded in obscuring the moral connection between Big Bill’s follies and the endless bribes, kickbacks, suicides, illegal mass firings, and vanishing files that made the “most ethical administration in history” so entertaining to watch.

So it needs restating as a simple truth that a man who cannot control his sexual impulses is unlikely to succeed in more complex matters. In little over a year, Spitzer threw away the goodwill engendered by his landslide victory through a series of petty conspiracies and dirty tricks, bringing New York state government to a standstill in the process. While McGreevey was a better governor than he’s ever likely to get credit for (he solved the longstanding auto-insurance “crisis” that made New Jersey a laughingstock for half a dozen previous administrations), his penchant for putting his muscle boys on the state payroll undercuts any other claims for his record. The same can be said for Paterson. Though, being both blind and black, he may likely survive, revelations concerning his practice of awarding jobs and positions don’t bode well for the future.

These men are clearly representative of the post-Clinton Democratic Party. They set out to follow in Bill’s footsteps, have ended up much the same as he did, and have dragged their party and political doctrine along with them. (At this point somebody will bring up the names Foley and Craig. But neither stood anywhere near the center of American conservatism in the way that the Northeastern governors do with liberalism as a matter of course. Foley and Craig were rotten apples. With the Democrats, it’s the whole barrel.)

That’s sure the way it seems lately. And it’s taking its toll on the superdelegates.

Some thoughts:

It’s often overlooked — thanks in large part to the Clinton “legacy” — that such misbehavior is almost always accompanied by corruption in other spheres. Insistence by Clinton’s defenders that his various lady troubles were “personal matters” succeeded in obscuring the moral connection between Big Bill’s follies and the endless bribes, kickbacks, suicides, illegal mass firings, and vanishing files that made the “most ethical administration in history” so entertaining to watch.

So it needs restating as a simple truth that a man who cannot control his sexual impulses is unlikely to succeed in more complex matters. In little over a year, Spitzer threw away the goodwill engendered by his landslide victory through a series of petty conspiracies and dirty tricks, bringing New York state government to a standstill in the process. While McGreevey was a better governor than he’s ever likely to get credit for (he solved the longstanding auto-insurance “crisis” that made New Jersey a laughingstock for half a dozen previous administrations), his penchant for putting his muscle boys on the state payroll undercuts any other claims for his record. The same can be said for Paterson. Though, being both blind and black, he may likely survive, revelations concerning his practice of awarding jobs and positions don’t bode well for the future.

These men are clearly representative of the post-Clinton Democratic Party. They set out to follow in Bill’s footsteps, have ended up much the same as he did, and have dragged their party and political doctrine along with them. (At this point somebody will bring up the names Foley and Craig. But neither stood anywhere near the center of American conservatism in the way that the Northeastern governors do with liberalism as a matter of course. Foley and Craig were rotten apples. With the Democrats, it’s the whole barrel.)

That’s sure the way it seems lately. And it’s taking its toll on the superdelegates.

OK, so Hillary dissed the military when she lied about being shot at. I’m sure that it was just a slip of the tongue–surely she didn’t mean to.

Well, actually, since she’s running for president, I am sure that she didn’t mean to. But it’s indicative of her cluelessness about the armed forces over which she viciously ambits to become Commander-In-Chief. When he came into office, her husband was similarly clueless. It took him a long time to learn to salute properly, and he never really got it down (though it should be noted that there is no requirement that the President salute to the troops–that was a tradition started by Ronald Reagan, and one that both Clintons no doubt wish that he hadn’t). But this goes beyond simply basic lack of understanding of how the military works. Underlying it is a contempt for the military, and authority itself, other than their own.

Consider this passage from Unlimited Access:

Another close source, this one in the Secret Service, told me that she had ordered her Secret Service protective detail to “stay the f–k away from me!” and to keep at least ten yards of distance between her and them at all times.

The Secret Service agent told me that it was much harder to protect her from a distance of ten yards, and she was told this, but she didn’t seem to care what the Secret Service said. He also told me that she had a clear dislike for the agents, bordering on hatred, in his opinion.

Along those same lines, another source told me that two Secret Service agents heard Hillary’s daughter, Chelsea, refer to them as “personal trained pigs” to some of her friends. When the friends were gone, the senior agent tried to scold Chelsea for such disrespect. He told her that he was willing to put his life on the line to save hers, and he believed that her father, the president, would be shocked if he heard what she had just said to her friends. Her response?

“I don’t think so. That’s what my parents call you.”

As is noted there, if true (and frankly, I certainly have no reason whatsoever to disbelieve it in light of their general history*), it makes sense, because Bill and Hillary were sixties campus radicals, and did indeed come from a culture that considered law enforcement officials “pigs.”

And we know, going all the way back to the first Clinton campaign that, no matter how he chose to spin it at the time or now, his letters about his draft deferment indicate that he did indeed “loathe” the military. There’s no reason to think that Hillary felt differently, then or now. And when you loathe something, you’re unlikely to invest much time in learning about it, or becoming familiar with it. The military culture is completely alien to this woman, and this incident is just one more bit of evidence for that.

And beyond that, even for someone unfamiliar with the military, it would seem obvious that when you tell a tale of running under fire on an air base where the people are dedicated to providing for your safety, that doesn’t reflect well on their performance. Obvious to anyone but Hillary Clinton. And she probably thought that showing her bravery under fire would be politically advantageous someone who probably knows nothing about the military other than action movies (many of which depict American troops as depraved) by her Hollywood pals.

But insulting the troops? Telling blatant and repeated lies? What does it matter, as long as she gets back into the White House? The hilarious thing is that it has blown back so badly on her.

The most brilliant woman in the world.

Right.

*Yes, before the trolls drop by and tell me that Aldridge’s book has been thoroughly discredited because of the story about Bill Clinton being sneaked out for trysts through a White House tunnel, I give that argument about as much weight as that OJ was innocent because Mark Furhman made some racist remarks–you don’t throw out an entire body of evidence because some of it has proven to be suspect.

And, of course, for those who are going to argue that I’m being unfair in ignoring Pastor Wright’s good works in condemning his lunatic remarks, I’ll just say that the two situations are not in any useful way equivalent, and if you’re too dim to understand why, I’m not going to waste time attempting to explain it to you.

OK, so Hillary dissed the military when she lied about being shot at. I’m sure that it was just a slip of the tongue–surely she didn’t mean to.

Well, actually, since she’s running for president, I am sure that she didn’t mean to. But it’s indicative of her cluelessness about the armed forces over which she viciously ambits to become Commander-In-Chief. When he came into office, her husband was similarly clueless. It took him a long time to learn to salute properly, and he never really got it down (though it should be noted that there is no requirement that the President salute to the troops–that was a tradition started by Ronald Reagan, and one that both Clintons no doubt wish that he hadn’t). But this goes beyond simply basic lack of understanding of how the military works. Underlying it is a contempt for the military, and authority itself, other than their own.

Consider this passage from Unlimited Access:

Another close source, this one in the Secret Service, told me that she had ordered her Secret Service protective detail to “stay the f–k away from me!” and to keep at least ten yards of distance between her and them at all times.

The Secret Service agent told me that it was much harder to protect her from a distance of ten yards, and she was told this, but she didn’t seem to care what the Secret Service said. He also told me that she had a clear dislike for the agents, bordering on hatred, in his opinion.

Along those same lines, another source told me that two Secret Service agents heard Hillary’s daughter, Chelsea, refer to them as “personal trained pigs” to some of her friends. When the friends were gone, the senior agent tried to scold Chelsea for such disrespect. He told her that he was willing to put his life on the line to save hers, and he believed that her father, the president, would be shocked if he heard what she had just said to her friends. Her response?

“I don’t think so. That’s what my parents call you.”

As is noted there, if true (and frankly, I certainly have no reason whatsoever to disbelieve it in light of their general history*), it makes sense, because Bill and Hillary were sixties campus radicals, and did indeed come from a culture that considered law enforcement officials “pigs.”

And we know, going all the way back to the first Clinton campaign that, no matter how he chose to spin it at the time or now, his letters about his draft deferment indicate that he did indeed “loathe” the military. There’s no reason to think that Hillary felt differently, then or now. And when you loathe something, you’re unlikely to invest much time in learning about it, or becoming familiar with it. The military culture is completely alien to this woman, and this incident is just one more bit of evidence for that.

And beyond that, even for someone unfamiliar with the military, it would seem obvious that when you tell a tale of running under fire on an air base where the people are dedicated to providing for your safety, that doesn’t reflect well on their performance. Obvious to anyone but Hillary Clinton. And she probably thought that showing her bravery under fire would be politically advantageous someone who probably knows nothing about the military other than action movies (many of which depict American troops as depraved) by her Hollywood pals.

But insulting the troops? Telling blatant and repeated lies? What does it matter, as long as she gets back into the White House? The hilarious thing is that it has blown back so badly on her.

The most brilliant woman in the world.

Right.

*Yes, before the trolls drop by and tell me that Aldridge’s book has been thoroughly discredited because of the story about Bill Clinton being sneaked out for trysts through a White House tunnel, I give that argument about as much weight as that OJ was innocent because Mark Furhman made some racist remarks–you don’t throw out an entire body of evidence because some of it has proven to be suspect.

And, of course, for those who are going to argue that I’m being unfair in ignoring Pastor Wright’s good works in condemning his lunatic remarks, I’ll just say that the two situations are not in any useful way equivalent, and if you’re too dim to understand why, I’m not going to waste time attempting to explain it to you.

OK, so Hillary dissed the military when she lied about being shot at. I’m sure that it was just a slip of the tongue–surely she didn’t mean to.

Well, actually, since she’s running for president, I am sure that she didn’t mean to. But it’s indicative of her cluelessness about the armed forces over which she viciously ambits to become Commander-In-Chief. When he came into office, her husband was similarly clueless. It took him a long time to learn to salute properly, and he never really got it down (though it should be noted that there is no requirement that the President salute to the troops–that was a tradition started by Ronald Reagan, and one that both Clintons no doubt wish that he hadn’t). But this goes beyond simply basic lack of understanding of how the military works. Underlying it is a contempt for the military, and authority itself, other than their own.

Consider this passage from Unlimited Access:

Another close source, this one in the Secret Service, told me that she had ordered her Secret Service protective detail to “stay the f–k away from me!” and to keep at least ten yards of distance between her and them at all times.

The Secret Service agent told me that it was much harder to protect her from a distance of ten yards, and she was told this, but she didn’t seem to care what the Secret Service said. He also told me that she had a clear dislike for the agents, bordering on hatred, in his opinion.

Along those same lines, another source told me that two Secret Service agents heard Hillary’s daughter, Chelsea, refer to them as “personal trained pigs” to some of her friends. When the friends were gone, the senior agent tried to scold Chelsea for such disrespect. He told her that he was willing to put his life on the line to save hers, and he believed that her father, the president, would be shocked if he heard what she had just said to her friends. Her response?

“I don’t think so. That’s what my parents call you.”

As is noted there, if true (and frankly, I certainly have no reason whatsoever to disbelieve it in light of their general history*), it makes sense, because Bill and Hillary were sixties campus radicals, and did indeed come from a culture that considered law enforcement officials “pigs.”

And we know, going all the way back to the first Clinton campaign that, no matter how he chose to spin it at the time or now, his letters about his draft deferment indicate that he did indeed “loathe” the military. There’s no reason to think that Hillary felt differently, then or now. And when you loathe something, you’re unlikely to invest much time in learning about it, or becoming familiar with it. The military culture is completely alien to this woman, and this incident is just one more bit of evidence for that.

And beyond that, even for someone unfamiliar with the military, it would seem obvious that when you tell a tale of running under fire on an air base where the people are dedicated to providing for your safety, that doesn’t reflect well on their performance. Obvious to anyone but Hillary Clinton. And she probably thought that showing her bravery under fire would be politically advantageous someone who probably knows nothing about the military other than action movies (many of which depict American troops as depraved) by her Hollywood pals.

But insulting the troops? Telling blatant and repeated lies? What does it matter, as long as she gets back into the White House? The hilarious thing is that it has blown back so badly on her.

The most brilliant woman in the world.

Right.

*Yes, before the trolls drop by and tell me that Aldridge’s book has been thoroughly discredited because of the story about Bill Clinton being sneaked out for trysts through a White House tunnel, I give that argument about as much weight as that OJ was innocent because Mark Furhman made some racist remarks–you don’t throw out an entire body of evidence because some of it has proven to be suspect.

And, of course, for those who are going to argue that I’m being unfair in ignoring Pastor Wright’s good works in condemning his lunatic remarks, I’ll just say that the two situations are not in any useful way equivalent, and if you’re too dim to understand why, I’m not going to waste time attempting to explain it to you.

In 2005, Obama said of himself the same things that Gerry Ferraro said about him:

Obama acknowledges, with no small irony, that he benefits from his race.

If he were white, he once bluntly noted, he would simply be one of nine freshmen senators, almost certainly without a multimillion-dollar book deal and a shred of celebrity. Or would he have been elected at all?

This is outrageous, and racist. Right?

Will Obama demand his own resignation?

Or will he say, “I can no more disown Barack Obama than I can my bigoted, America-hating lunatic pastor”?

[Update a few minutes later]

Hitchens, on Obama’s political cynicism:

“If Barack gets past the primary,” said the Rev. Jeremiah Wright to the New York Times in April of last year, “he might have to publicly distance himself from me. I said it to Barack personally, and he said yeah, that might have to happen.” Pause just for a moment, if only to admire the sheer calculating self-confidence of this. Sen. Obama has long known perfectly well, in other words, that he’d one day have to put some daylight between himself and a bigmouth Farrakhan fan. But he felt he needed his South Side Chicago “base” in the meantime. So he coldly decided to double-cross that bridge when he came to it. And now we are all supposed to marvel at the silky success of the maneuver.

You often hear it said, of some political or other opportunist, that he would sell his own grandmother if it would suit his interests. But you seldom, if ever, see this notorious transaction actually being performed, which is why I am slightly surprised that Obama got away with it so easily. (Yet why do I say I am surprised? He still gets away with absolutely everything.)

Looking for a moral equivalent to a professional demagogue who thinks that AIDS and drugs are the result of a conspiracy by the white man, Obama settled on an 85-year-old lady named Madelyn Dunham, who spent a good deal of her youth helping to raise him and who now lives alone and unwell in a condo in Honolulu. It would be interesting to know whether her charismatic grandson made her aware that he was about to touch her with his grace and make her famous in this way. By sheer good fortune, she, too, could be a part of it all and serve her turn in the great enhancement.

More and more, it is clear that this is 2008’s Bill Clinton of 1992, in the way that he is treated by the press and his acolytes. We aren’t supposed to be judgmental about his mendacity and ability to spin and prevaricate. No, we’re supposed to admire how good he is at it.

Ah, New York:

…should Governor Paterson resign, his place will be taken by Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno …

…who is still, I believe, under investigation by the FBI for his business dealings.

Somewhere down there in the chain of command of New York State politics, there must surely be an honest person. It could take a while before we work our way down to him, though.