Bonehead Politics

"Stay the course." A.k.a., "When you're in a hole, keep digging, only faster. Hint: Use a bigger shovel."

With the national Republican Party out in full force on the wisdom of El Presidente's Iraqi quagmire, what else do they have going for them?

Queer fear and flag burning, that's what. The gay marriage ban has already failed miserably in the Senate, but up next ... a ban on flag desecration, which apparently has reached epidemic levels and must be CONTROLLED.

Matt Bennett, a former Democratic staffer who is vice president of Third Way, a centrist think tank, and a follower of polls and focus groups, is quoted in this a.m.'s WashPost: "The gay marriage political ploy was a masterstroke in 2004, but it is not working this year." Voters want serious debates on serious issues, not "flag burning and this other nonsense," he said, adding: "I am highly skeptical that this is smart politics."