The Political Spectrum

As ecstatic as I am about the Roberts pick, a glance over at the comments in Confirm Them reveals that the real headache over the next few weeks will not come from the predictable losers on the left such as Sanctimonious Chuck and glug glug glug Teddy, but from irate righties who not only need a blood oath that Roberts would vote to overturn Roe, but who also need to see him with some dynamite strapped to his chest outside an abortion clinic. (It should be noted that this comment relates not to the esteemed blogging crew at Confirm Them, but a few of the ornery commenters.) They're harping over Robert's comments during his confirmation hearing that Roe was the settled law of the land, and that he would uphold the law. Of course he said this. If he had said anything else he would have revealed himself to be a Roy Moore-esque ass clown vowing to take on a Court superior to the one he would be sitting on.

Reading some of the comments calls to mind something I have wanted to blog about for a while. There is a certain fringe element of the right that I like to call the "crankycons." These represent a certain bloc of right-wingers that are so curmudgeonly that it is an embarassment to be associated with them. This reactionary lot cannot bare to stand the thought that any fragment of American society is just not so, and pine for the glory days of an America which never existed. Certainly paleocons like Pat Buchanan are crankycons, but not all crankycons are paleocons.

Exhibit number 1 in this group is radio commentator Michael Savage. I actually started listening to Savage last summer. He was a welcome change from some of the boring radio personalities on the air in the evening. In fact, Savage can be quite interesting, hitting upon topics no other radio voice usually would deem worthy of discussion. He once had a great discussion about the French Revolution that indicated that he was a pretty well-educated individual, and he had some keen insights. But after a while his constant moaning and groaning about everything grew so warrying that I had to stop listening. Well, that and the fact that the radio station he's on in DC doesn't get great reception in my apartment,

Every now and then I tune in, and he's managed to have gotten more irritating. He has a passionate belief that no one walking this planet is as smart or as courageous as he, and would have us think that Bush is a traitor to this Nation because he hasn't personally walked into Iran with a nuke and blown the place to smithereens.

I just can't take it anymore. There are certainly plenty of things wrong with the country, and I have no qualms about bitching about each and every one of them. But for the love of humanity the world isn't that fucked up, and the mere existence of people with opposing points of view does not get me all hot and bothered. Yes, the President could do a bit more about illegal immigration, but his lack of strong action does not signify he's the equal of Ted Kennedy. President Bush's "compassionate conservatism" will hopefully not be an ideology ascribed to by the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, but it's ridiculous to spend as much time as Savage and his ilk do in portraying Bush as some Democrat-in-conservative's clothing.

It is enough for me that George Bush has appointed a seemingly brilliant legal mind to the Supreme Court - a brilliant mind that is also apparently an originalist. While it's certainly possible that Roberts will disappoint us all, I am fairly confident in Bush's selection and do not need the skies to open up as a voice declares, "this is Bush's Supreme Court nominee, with whom I am well pleased."

Grow up already, or just get it over with and take your things and pack to Montana or the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The rest of us will be content to remain tied to the ground in the real world.