Losin’ It

As I’m watching the mini frenzy over the trumped up “Mary Cheney” controversy, I am struck by how much the GOP is off its game.

Think about it. The morning after the final debate, they trotted out the wife of the vice president to attack John Kerry for being too mean —- about their gay daughter. What’s the plan? Are they trying to make a mad dash to the middle by portraying the “most liberal member of the senate” as being intolerant toward gays? Or is this supposed to enrage and energize the base — all of whom think that we should actually change the constitution to permanently discriminate against gay people. It’s weird and unfocused. It’s very hard for me to believe that they want to spend the day with the words “vice president’s gay daughter” being repeated over and over again on television.

Meanwhile, while Lynn Cheney is performing the role of rabid attack dog, the only sight we’ve seen of Commander Codpiece the Warrior King (looking even more dazed and confused than ever) was a brief uncomfortable interview on Air Force One where John McCain gave his best streetwalker impression and some woman (didn’t catch who she is) brought up Bush’s worst moment in the debate in which he said that the answer to those who had lost their jobs was to improve elementary school standards. “That’s just common sense” she said.

These guys are way off message.