One more thing ...

This constant barrage of "Maverick, Maverick, Maverick, Maverick" reminds me of a coloring book that kicked around my house when I was a little girl. It was The John Birch Society Coloring Book (not approved by the John Birch Society.) I read it a lot -- once I even colored in it, a picture of a witch burning at the stake, but someone put a stop to that -- and I had no idea what any of the captions meant or what the John Birch Society even was. But I pretty much memorized that book, and remember most of it to this day.

So, there was a double page spread of a row of men in suits, wearing hats, carrying briefcases. The first one is saying, "I think for myself." The second one, "So do I." The third one, "Me too." The fourth one, "Ditto." and so on.

The thing is, if you have multiple people all claiming to be mavericks, don't they kind of cancel each other out?

Blurting Out Random Crap

This column of a day or two ago, by Bob Cesca, speaks the truth, makes you laugh, and is a good illustration of my point that "saucy" should become a regular part of everyone's vocabulary.

Jesus, I'm Sick Of These People

I'm just about as sick of hearing how John McCain is a "maverick" as I am of hearing that he was a POW. (I'll bet you didn't know that he was a POW, did you?) Here is Sarah Palin, being interviewed by hard-nosed investigative journalist Katie Couric:

COURIC: You've said, quote, "John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business." Other than supporting stricter regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago, can you give us any more example of his leading the charge for more oversight?

PALIN: I think that the example that you just cited, with his warnings two years ago about Fannie and Freddie--that, that's paramount. That's more than a heck of a lot of other senators and representatives did for us.

COURIC: But he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with less regulation, not more.

PALIN: He's also known as the maverick though. [My italics. By the way, I think that sentence would have had more oomph if she had begun it with the words "Yet however." "Yet however he's also known as the maverick though."] Taking shots from his own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to get people to understand what he's been talking about--the need to reform government.

COURIC: I'm just going to ask you one more time, not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation?

PALIN: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you.

Sarah Palin is dangerous. She's also a blithering idiot, but that didn't stop people from falling for the lies of Bush/Cheney now, did it?

You want a maverick? Here's a real maverick!