Railing against NAFTA in 1993, Limbaugh said, “If you are unskilled and uneducated, your job is going south. Skilled workers, educated people are going to do fine ’cause those are the kinds of jobs NAFTA is going to create. If we are going to start rewarding no skills and stupid people, I’m serious, let the unskilled jobs that take absolutely no knowledge whatsoever to do — let stupid and unskilled Mexicans do that work.”

The reactionaries argue that Limbaugh meant ” that NAFTA would mean that unskilled stupid Mexicans would be doing the jobs of unskilled stupid Americans” but that interpretation seems rather strained to me – almost as painful as watching McBush try to explain away his “economy is fundamentally sound’ comment as referring to the strength and efficiency of the American worker – mealy-mouthed backtracking.

Make no mistake, it’s xenophobia and out-and-out racism that underlies the reactionary anti-illegal immigrant platform. But in classic Rovian form, the McBush campaign just turns the attack on the opposition, screaming ‘Sexism! Racism! Elitism!” in the hope of confusing the less informed voter – at least until November 2nd.

But like a porker in a greased pig contest, they sure do squeal when you catch them in the act!

“Author and journalist Christopher Hitchens says it was difficult finding someone who would agree to waterboard a man of 60.”

He obviously didn’t try too hard – I’d be happy to waterboard him! Right after ‘boarding Limbaugh, Coulter, Savage, ad nauseum. I guess the issue wasn’t finding somebody who would waterboard him though, but rather – somebody who would be willing to stop after only 10 seconds of what Limbaugh once termed ‘hazing.’

Does it strike you that Mr. Hitchens is in that twilight mode of any celebrity’s career, “struggling to stay relevant?”