Mickey Kaus:

a thought born embalmed as a cliche, already tiresome from anticipated over-expression before being sincerely expressed in the first place

Wow, he’s so out in front of whatever it is he’s talking about that I, for one, have no idea what on earth he’s talking about.

The AP notices blogging:

From the kitchen table in his tranquil suburban neighborhood, Brodkorb for the last year has used his blog “Minnesota Democrats Exposed” to launch a furious political assault on Franken. He’s labeled the former comedian and liberal commentator a “mean-spirited and un-Minnesotan” candidate who’s running a “desperate and ridiculous” campaign.

That’s routine stuff in the world of political blogging, but in the last two months Brodkorb has

scored two direct hits that have the Franken campaign reeling. Brodkorb scooped the traditional media by detailing extensive bookkeeping problems in New York and California that ultimately prompted Franken, this week, to pay about $70,000 in back taxes to 17 states.

The stories have knocked Franken off balance as he prepares to take on Sen. Norm Coleman, in what’s expected to be one of the most expensive and toughest-fought U.S. Senate races this year.

Pretty cool, considering that Al Franken can be expected to get all the MSM boosting he can — even from oddball conservatives like Ben Stein who share his show biz milieu. (Tinsel runs thicker than water.)

Mickey Kaus quotes Chris Matthews on his Pennsylvania prediction for Hillary —

Eight points. I think eight points is the over/under. If she gets a victory of less than 8 I think shes going to have a hard time arguing that she should stay in this race. …. [S]he cant call it a victory winning five or six or seven up here. Shes got to get at least an 8.

And then, thank God, adds:

I wish I could report that he said it with a knowing, ironic appreciation for its absurd arrogance. …

Yes, and no, Mickey.   Yes on the arrogance, but maybe not for the reason you think.  The fact is that Matthews is 100% right:  That eight points is exactly the margin of victory he, himself — and his friends in the Business — will declare to be “the one.”  It is a self-fulfilling prophecy, not a prediction of some phenomenon based on an analysis of objectively observable phenomena.

And yes, yes, it is arrogant.  You got a problem with that?

ABC News reports that former President Jimmy Carter will not be endorsing any Democratic candidate soon. “The only thing I know is that, I have not made an endorsement, and don’t intend to, until the time of the convention,” said America’s most contemptible living former President.

The charming thing is that this news story seems to have been written without any sense of irony whatsoever. Carter is not only a vacuous and egocentric moral pygmy. He also has no national political influence or credibility. To the contrary, he is an ongoing embarrassment to Democrats, and he and the Clintons — whom you would think would be natural allies — had avoided each other since forever. Carter’s endorsement, which seems likely to go to Obama, can hardly be sought by any legitimate Democratic candidate, except to the extent that any 11 year old boy seeks to be kissed by his mustachioed aunt.

So is Jimmy at least being a decently loyal Democrat and avoiding tarring either candidate with the brush of association with his wretched self until it hardly matters? Or is he merely trying to gin up some ongoing media interest by spinning a thread of such unbearable suspense? Given his self-regard, the latter seems more likely. And, in typical Carter fashion, even more pathetic.

UPDATE:  Oh, he is really unbelievable!

Cross-posted on Right Wing News.