This a.m.'s New York Times contains insider info on how the Republicans intend to turn protests against El Presidente in New York during the Republican National Convention to their advantage: "Republicans said they would seek to turn any disruptions to their advantage, by portraying protests by even independent activists as Democratic-sanctioned displays of disrespect for a sitting president .... Republicans made clear they would seek to link Mr. Kerry and the Democratic Party to any disorder."

On the floor of the convention, the hard-edged hyper-conservatism of gay- and immigrant-bashing, no-stem-cell research, it's my way or the highway approach of the Cowboy in Chief will be put into the deep freeze for a return to the warmed-over "compassion" of 2000.

Will they get away with the fakery? Probably. Because the American people have ceased to take an interest in how things work, beyond how they look on TV.