Irish Trojan in Tennessee

CNN Breaking News

By CNN

Texas Rangers meet with and then release a man suspected of abusing a teenage girl at a polygamist compound.

Heh.

By Brendan Loy

Hillary Says Memphis National Champ Despite KU Having More Points: "Just because some team comes along in the last minute and scores more points than the other guy doesn't mean they're necessarily able to be National Champion on Day One." (Hat tip: GT12.)

Uh-oh

By Brendan Loy

Obama sure has been making his share of rhetorical gaffes lately, hasn't he? Yikes. How many more "terribly, terribly phrased" (or, if you prefer, "not the most felicitously phrased") remarks must we suffer through?

Once again, it's perfectly possible to defend his remarks at an intellectual level, but... he does realize he's running for President of the United States, not, like, dean of the law school, right? He can't win the general election if he keeps saying intellectually defensible but politically indefensible stuff like this.

P.S. In fact, I'm growing increasingly concerned that he can't win the general election, period. Maybe that's just sleepy pessimism talking, or maybe Hillary Clinton put a Borg microchip in my brain and the assimilation process is beginning ("Votes are irrelevant. Delegates are irrelevant. Resistance is futile."), but nevertheless, I fear the game might already be over. Has Obama done enough long-term damage to himself (with Rev. Wright's help) that the man who I once thought would be the "liberal Reagan" is going to lose in a landslide come November? I'd like to say no; I'd like to think American voters will rise to the occasion and judge these two fine men, Obama and McCain, on their actual merits, rather than on a handful of sound bites. But is that really a good bet to make? Can Obama really survive "God damn America" and "typical white person" and "punished with a baby" and "cling to guns or religion"? If he can, he really will be the liberal Reagan: truly teflon-coated.

P.P.S. To be clear: I say I "fear" this outcome because I want a competitive race between two well-respected candidates that's fought on the merits and the issues -- not necessarily because I want Obama to win. I'm undecided between Obama and McCain. But I'd like to see a real race, not a YouTube- and attack-ad-fueled McCain rout. But the latter becomes more likely with each Obama gaffe.

P.P.P.S. Mickey Kaus:

Because Obama's comments are clearly a Category II Kinsley Gaffe--in which the candidate accidentally says what he really thinks--it will be hard for Obama to explain away. [He could say he was tired and it was late at night?--ed But he was similarly condescending in his big, heartfelt, well-prepared "race speech." Better to embrace them. Let's have a national dialogue about egghead condescension!]

Heh.