Great Ed Show exchange- GOPer gets p'wned

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This is some great video from The Ed Show yesterday, when Salon editor Joan Walsh squared off against Republican strategist John Feehery. During the segment, Ed mentioned what a significant number of Republicans believe - that Obama's a Muslim, that he's comparable to Hitler, etc. (you get the idea). Feehery contended that there were polls taken during the Dubya Bush administration that found large numbers of Democrats who believed Bush worse than Hitler. I agree with Walsh - I'd love to see them. Because, like her, I firmly believe that they don't exist; if they do, I'd love to know how those polls were conducted, how the questions were asked, and who sponsored the polls. Anyone who can find a poll like that, send it to me. Let me save you some work- you won't. (And as a quick aside, can we pu-leeze, finally put to rest the Nazi Germany and Hitler references?!? I'm sick to death of them. Thanks.)

On this very blog, while Bush was president, I compared Bush to Hitler when discussing our invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, but I didn't even encroach where Republicans are right now regarding Obama.

In her Salon column yesterday, Walsh also took issue with Palin's use of language on her Twitter account (urging supporters to "reload"), and the image of crosshairs on her Facebook account, "targeting" Democrats in the fall elections who supported the health care bill (at right, click for larger image). I probably don't think it's as big of a deal as Walsh does, but it doesn't help combat the extremists (and even acceptance by some on the right) of those who have shown up at Obama rallies with loaded guns. I do fear for Obama, with all of the hateful, nutcase hysteria and vengeful hatred that's floating around out there about the president, I hope and pray nothing tragic ever happens.

At best, it was a very poor choice of words, and at worst, it could incite violence. I'd say that commonsense should tell Palin not to use this language and images, but her and commonsense haven't been on speaking terms since she emerged from her mother's birth canal.

Also in her column yesterday, Walsh touches on Mitt Romney's history with individual mandates (and how he eventually supported them) for purchasing health care, and her point is brilliant. This issue promises to be a significant problem for Romney if he throws his hat in the ring in '12, but then again, we'll be able to just add it to the list of his flip flops, joining gun control, abortion (multiple times!), the morning after pill, gay rights, campaign finance reform and immigration. Romney would make a better candidate than Palin (who wouldn't?), but not by much.