Cold Turkey

Brrrrrr.

All that Provigil, yet no posts for two weeks. You don't write. You don't call. I know.

Not only did the dog eat my homework, he ate it while I was in Napa tagging along with the illustrious, industrious Mrs. Hill as she practiced the black art of marketing with appalling grace and aplomb.

Despite the steady rain which pelted us for most of the trip, and the cozy confines of our accommodations, blogging was the furthest thing from my mind. Being a martini & Xanax kinda guy, I certainly hadn't expected to be so smitten with Wine Country. I guess I'm more precious than I thought. And who knew Californians could actually be warm and charming? It was enough to shatter, if only for a while, my Misanthropy Initiative (now in its 45th year).

In the words of Texas troubador Robert Earl Keen, the road goes on forever and the party never ends. But a shut-in like me can't stay gone forever, so here I am, back to my usual contempt for the human animal. I'll make it up to you, I swear, between now and the end of the month.

For now, though, having been distracted by the Edwards-Marcotte train wreck, I give you this, my first Salon letter which - woe is me - failed to garner the coveted Editor's Choice Stamp of Approval. No doubt, there will be others. I was responding to this pitiful essay by Ms. Marcotte in which she inadvertently details why she was a lousy choice for any political campaign, let alone a vacillating spore like John Edwards.

When Demagogues Cry

Donohue and Malkin know they're demagogues. But despite a well-deserved reputation for inflammatory rhetoric, you still labor under the impression you are not. No wonder you got your ass kicked.

That a liberal blogger of any stripe, much less one with a sizeable audience, would be surprised by the long knives and gnashing teeth of the Republican Smear Machine is nothing less than dismaying.

More disturbing, though, was your willingness to promote a spineless featherweight who, in order to show off his Mighty War Cock to voters, supported the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq... only to "regret" his decision when it became crystal clear that a continued defense would have *certainly* ended his career.

Edwards was buying authenticity and you were selling. To the extent there's even a story here, it is one of astoundingly poor judgment, both yours and your candidate's. Martyrdom is surely more comfortable than owning up to that, which explains the self-pitying tone of your essay.

Contrary to prevailing opinion - yours, Salon's and pretty much everyone else's - the left blogosphere is not a Democratic monolith. Many of us have turned our backs on the party which refused - and refuses still - to stand up to the lawlessness, bullying and criminal machinations of the Republican Party. Rewarding serial non-performance, duplicity and corruption with contributions and votes makes progressive political reform impossible. Perhaps another decade of being marginalized, suckered and abused by the DNC-ites you so enthusiastically support will strengthen your powers of observation.