Idiots, Hypocrites & Liars

Wednesday, March 21, was a bad day for conservatives and the Bush administration as news events showed the public that they are idiots, hypocrites and liars.

First, during Vice President Al Gore testimony in congress a number of Republicans attempted to criticize his testimony on the relationship between humans activities and global warming, yet despite efforts by Sen. James Inhofe (Okla.), even their GOP colleagues eventually said they had enough.

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post pointed out that Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.), implicitly rebuked his flat-Earth colleagues, saying: "It's possible to be a conservative without appearing to be an idiot."

Milbank said Gore's performance was "in many ways, a 21st-century version of the Scopes trial. Only this time, Gore, like William Jennings Bryan a failed Democratic presidential nominee, was playing Darrow, champion of scientific thought. Inhofe was playing the Bryan character, defending his beliefs against the encroachments of foes such as the National Academy of Sciences, the United Nations and the Oscar-hoisting former vice president.”

Then Post the reported that a day after Bush complained about Democrats engaging in a "partisan witch hunt," the leader of the Justice Department team that prosecuted a landmark lawsuit against tobacco companies said that Bush administration political appointees repeatedly ordered her to take steps that weakened the government's racketeering case.

Lastly, John Stewart on the Daily Show pointed out that former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, during his appearance on Tuesday's show, either didn't know what he was talking about or was lying when he claimed Stewart was wrong in saying President Lincoln brought in people of varying points of views to help with his administration. Bolton continually claimed Stewart was wrong on various items and on his Lincoln point said “you are historically wrong about Lincoln.”

Stewart, unlike too many in the media, checked out Bolton's claim and contacted Doris Kearns Goodwin, a Lincoln expert and author of “Team of Rivals,” who said Stewart "was historically right" and that Bolton was historically wrong.

But what Bolton was doing was nothing new for conservatives, lie and assume no one will follow up on the lie, or at least not until after an election. After all it worked so well in 2000, 2002, and 2004. And it's not like FOX "News" is going to report on conservatives being wrong.