Crazy, am I? We'll see whether I'm crazy or not.

If you've followed the dust-up over 12-year-old Graeme Frost and the rabid Malkinite swarm attacking his family for his daring to speak up for SCHIP, you're probably shaking your head over the whole thing much the same as I am. Is there a step beyond self-parody? Because it appears the conservative dregs of the blogo-sphere may have finally reached it.

Let's set aside for the moment the vicious, brownshirt-esque behavior by these "citizen journalists" and their repulsive cheerleaders in Malkin, Limbaugh, etc. just for the moment. The progressive net has already done a fine job of cataloging their inanity. Jackassases, the lot of 'em.

No, what I really find stunning about the whole affair is the complete and utter lack of logic behind the attack. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, to be gained by attacking this kid and his family. Indeed; for all intensive purposes they set their cause back with their actions.

The bottom line is that it didn't matter whether the Democrats put a personal face on SCHIP in the form of a twelve-year-old boy because the greater truth, the enormous, obese truth sitting on the face of the body-politic and singing "greater truths are here to stay" is that the system of private insurance in the United States is fucked-up beyond recognition. Broken. Pining for the fjords. And the vast majority of Americans know this.

It doesn't matter if we make $45,000, or $145,000, the reality is that all of us outside of the very, very rich are one accident away from financial disaster due to the insane costs of healthcare in America and regardless of what kind of insurance we have. THAT'S why SCHIP is a popular program whether or not we personally qualify. There for the grace of God go I.

These Freeper sociopaths aren't just out of the mainstream. They're out of their minds.

You have created a monster and it will destroy you.

As a "fallen" Catholic I've always had only a passing interest in the last few years of priest/ pedophilia scandals that've not only plagued the church, but come close to bankrupting it in many areas of the country.

From what I did read about the scandals the legal strategy of the church when they were accused was to deny the accusations while simultaneously attacking the reputation of accuser. Not very Christian, but the best they could come up with.

The current jag the Foley/ page scandal has taken into his own victimization at the hands of a Catholic priest some years ago is a diversion to the much larger story of the cover-up. But the church's reaction to Foley's accusations of abuse is downright stunning. Instead of the deny/ attack strategy they've taken the exact opposite tact from every other priest sexual abuse case; admit and apologize.

A cynical man might say that the only thing different in this case is that the accuser is was a congressional Republican whose party is being crucified by the media over their failure to reign in Foley and that the Catholic church has a vested interest in keeping Republicans in power. A story such as this provides both a convienent excuse for Foley's objectionable behavior and a distraction from the fact that the GOP leadership looked the other way as Foley stalked children.

Luckily, I am not such a cynic.

I want friend like me.

It's not hypocritical for the Big Dog to go to Connecticut to campaign for Lieberman. Among Clinton's many sins holding a grudge isn't one of them.

But what does it say about Lieberman's principles that he is now utilizing the support of a former President of which he said this during the height of the Lewinski debacle?

In choosing this path, I fear that the President has undercut the efforts of millions of American parents who are naturally trying to instill in our children the value of honesty. As most any mother or father knows, kids have a singular ability to detect double standards. So we can safely assume that it will be that much more difficult to convince our sons and daughters of the importance of telling the truth when the most powerful man in the nation evades it. Many parents I have spoken with in Connecticut confirm this unfortunate consequence.

The President's intentional and consistent misstatements may also undercut the trust that the American people have in his word, which would have substantial ramifications for his presidency. Under the Constitution, as presidential scholar Richard Neustadt has noted, the President's ultimate source of authority, particularly his moral authority, is the power to persuade, to mobilize public opinion and build consensus behind a common agenda, and at this the President has been extraordinarily effective. But that power hinges on the President's support among the American people and their faith and confidence in his motivations, his agenda, and ultimately his personal integrity. As Teddy Roosevelt once explained, "My power vanishes into thin air the instant that my fellow citizens who are straight and honest cease to believe that I represent them and fight for what is straight and honest; that is all the strength I have."

Sadly, with his deception, President Clinton may have weakened the great power and strength of which President Roosevelt spoke. I know this is a concern that many of my colleagues share, that the President has hurt his credibility and therefore, perhaps, his chances of moving his agenda forward. But I believe that the harm the President's actions have caused extend beyond the political arena. I am afraid that the misconduct the President has admitted may be reinforcing one of the most destructive messages being delivered by our popular culture --namely that values are essentially fungible. And I am afraid that his misconduct may help to blur some of the most important bright lines of right and wrong left in our society.

Thank goodness values aren't fungible. Otherwise we might be faced with the spectacle of watching "principled" politicians like Lieberman blithely tossing aside the principles they've professed to believe for years in a desperate attempt to hold onto their seat.

That would be horrible.