Republicans Are Fearless and Brilliant--Just Ask Them

John McCain's recent zigs to the extreme right certainly look like political pandering in a last desperate attempt to obtain the Republican presidential nomination--not the kind of behavior one would expect from a supposedly fearless maverick. But in today's Washington Post, David Ignatius reveals that it isn't pandering--that, in fact, McCain remains "A Man Who Won't Sell His Soul."

And how does Ignatius know? Why, McCain told him so! Ignatius writes:

Some people (Bill Clinton comes to mind) have a knack for making easy compromises on the road to election, but McCain isn't one of them.

"I don't want it that badly," McCain says.

That certainly clears that up.

In a similar vein, the Post's gossip columnists Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts inform us that Bush's comedy act was a smash, while Colbert's was a dud:

The reviews from the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner are in, and the consensus is that President Bush and Bush impersonator Steve Bridges stole Saturday's show--and Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert's cutting satire fell flat because he ignored the cardinal rule of Washington humor: Make fun of yourself, not the other guy.

Their source for this priceless insight? "Landon Parvin, who helped Bush and Bridges write the jokes contrasting Bush's public voice with his supposed inner thoughts." Now there's an objective point of view!

As an author, I wonder what I have to do to get the prerogative that McCain and Bush evidently have--to write rave reviews of my own performances and get them published (under someone else's name) in a supposedly serious newspaper. Sure would be handy the next time I have a book coming out . . .

Tags: Washington Post, John McCain, David Ignatius, Bush, Stephen Colbert