Biology, comedy and politics

It's my fervent hope that some life will remain in the GOP primary circus until March 6, when I can put my secret plan into action.

We lost what may have been the best political act since Dan Quayle when Michele Bachmann pulled the plug, or rather when someone powered her down. The item here does its best to be magisterial, but consider this quote from it:

The New York Times' Trip Gabriel reported, "People close to the campaign, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mrs. Bachmann is often influenced by the last person she speaks with on an issue rather than maintaining discipline in communicating a message."

Commenters are occasionally spot on, and one thoughtful reader said that no matter what gloss you put on it, this and other revelations in the article could be summed up with the word idiot.

Lovers of political comedy now have two candidates to follow. Thanks to urban street talk, one of the funniest things to do on the Internet just now is to Google the word "santorum." It has been difficult at times to distinguish between the former Senator and the place this product originates. But the Interwebz has a life of its own, and the more hits santorum gets, the more entrenched the two meanings become. The comedy, while unintended, is certainly self-inflicted.

Close behind is newt. This candidate seems to have more tech-savvy supporters, for one begins to detect efforts to draw an online distinction between the candidate and a rather icky salamander of the same name:



I'll leave the zoology lessons for those better informed, for there's a simpler way to tell these creatures apart. The little salamander has principles.

If your day is looking dull, hit this newt link a few dozen times and frustrate the efforts of the Gingrich geeks to stay on message.