David Oatney, January 31, 2008:
Senator Corker continues to pleasantly surprise me with his conservative good sense. Even when voting against a popular proposal, he gives a very sound and very conservative reason why.
David Oatney, July 31, 2006:
As Christians know, Satan is the Father of Lies. The words of Christ in John 8:44 could rightly be applied to Mr. Corker:
"You are of your father the devil: and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning: and he stood not in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof."
Bob Corker has apparently chosen his means of winning and his lord. He is doing the work of his Father.
From the Son of Satan to decent fella in just 18 months. I'd call that a pretty good trajectory.
And people wonder why I sometimes give these folks a hard time.
2. I'm going to see John McCain tomorrow. Just in case you were wondering what my weekend schedule looked like.
3. You know what? A lot of the same people who hated Bob Corker two years ago are a lot of the same folks who hate John McCain now, and for many of the same reasons. Interesting, no?
4. Jonah Goldberg occasionally goes a little to into-the-tank for his National Review colleagues, but that's understandable, and he's still one of my favorites. Here's one example of why.
5. As a Republican, I'm rooting for Hillary over on the Democratic side. As an American, I'm rooting for Obama, even though I see no way he can win in November.
BONUS: James Lileks on McCain Derangement Syndrome:
Went home, slammed a few cups of coffee, did the Hewitt show. We had a semi dust-up over McCain. I do not share all his opinions on the man. I do not share all his opinions about Romney – although tonight I think I finally realized why I can’t get interested in Romney beyond a general appreciation of his skill and experience. When he talks, he doesn’t move the needle. He’s like one of those radio guys who has an absolutely consistent tone and inflection and pace; the parameters of his pitch don’t change. This is coming down to a contest of personalities, as usual, and even if you don’t like McCain’s briny persona, he has more personality than Mitt, and it’s genuine. Genuinely spiky, or genuinely engaged, or genuinely egomaniacal, or genuinely whatever you wish, but it’s real. I understand the dislike of the fellow and the distrust of his positions, but some of the vitriol splashed his way is over the top, in that snagging-your-pants-on-the-crest-of-Everest sense. This is the only election I can recall where a large portion of the grass roots seems to insist that hatred of the putative nominee is the true test of ideological fealty – and a path to success down the road. I mean, imagine you’ve just joined a group, and the leader says “We have a plan to win. The first thing we need to do is lose.”
