America's Worst Op-Ed Page

Beyond David Broder, beyond George Will, beyond Robert Novak, beyond David Ignatius, beyond Richard Cohen, and beyond the straw that stirs the drink Fred Hiatt (I'm sure I'm missing some of the other illustrious luminaries), the Washington Post also publishes Kathleen Parker, who this week pondered whether Barack Obama had the proper "blood equity" to be President, and then decided John Edwards and Obama were gay for each other. Bradrocket had the definitive takedown of that mess.

It’s tough to list all the things that make this column so mind-crushingly stupid, but let’s give it a shot:

• Parker begins the column by calling Edwards and Obama fags.

• Then, not having the courage to stand by this novel and poignant insight, she claims that it wasn’t her idea to call them fags, but was instead the idea of one of Edwards’ advisers. But hey, they’re still gay homo fruits who like to take it up the homobutt.

• Next, she pulls out the oldest trick in the Wingnut Punditry Bible: she lectures us about what Real Americans think! Never mind that she’s spent her entire working life on the Wingnut Welfare circuit - she’s got her hand on the pulse of The People, baby!

• And what do Real Americans think, you ask? Why, they’re apparently super-duper happy about the state of the country! Even though, like, 85% of them are dissatisfied with the direction of the country. And even though Bush’s approval rating stands at a sterling 28%. And even though the Republicans just lost a goddamn seat in freaking Mississippi.

To sum up: the WaPo just published a fact-free op-ed whose only “substantive” points are that Edwards and Obama are TEH GHEY OMG LOL IT IS TOO FUNNY FOREVER.

This is why I don't read op-ed pages, and yet the WaPo's "Makes Me Want To Commit Self-Murder"ers Row is so astonishingly bad that you can't help but hear about it.