Get 'im, Dave! Get 'im!

I've been saying for years that what the Democratic party needs is talented comedy writers. It's pretty damn clear that logic and policy aren't going to sway Republican voters who've been fed a steady diet of xenophobia, cultural warfare, and paranoia. (If it were, the US electoral map would look like the Economist's electoral map.) Ridicule and shame, however, may well be the thing when you consider how much the right has "normalized" ridiculous and shameful behavior.

After receiving a call from the McCain campaign canceling an appearance on tonight's Late Night with David Letterman, it was discovered that McCain stopped down the street to be interviewed by CBS' Katie Couric rather than rushing back to Washington to work on the proposed Wall Street bailout, as Letterman had been told.

"Hey Senator," Letterman mocked in front of live video of the interview, "can I give you a ride home?"

Letterman had earlier expressed suspicion at McCain's move to suspend his campaign. "This doesn't smell right," he said. "This isn't the way a tested hero behaves."

"I think someone's putting something in his Metamucil...He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second-string quarterback, Sarah Palin. Where is she?"

"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough?" Letterman added. "Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"