I thought the speech sounded vaguely familiar:

"Now, the other party says there are two Americas. Don't believe that ... We are one America, and President Bush is defending it with all his heart and soul..."

-- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), in his speech at the RNC last night.

"I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America.

There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America...[w]e are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."

-- Illinois Senate candidate Barack Obama (D), in his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. How short do they think Americans' memories are?

Yup, it's as down-the-rabbit-hole surreal as I expected. Speakers at the Republican National Convention are praising Richard Nixon, comparing supporters of gay marriage (and gay families) with Nazis, claiming the Republican party is the "Party of God," [perhaps they should rename themselves the POG?] the Guvernator calls Democrats "girly men" - and we get a Beavis and Butthead episode in drag, too!

Not to mention Dennis "Protesters are Anarchists!" Hastert or Alan "Too Busy for the RNC, But Not Too Busy To Slam Veep's Daughter" Keyes. Even many in the mainstream Illinois GOP are starting to treat him like the plague. [Thanks to Positive Liberty, Atrios, Dispatches From The Culture Wars, Gapers Block and The Chicago Tribune [reg. req.] for the posts, commentary, and sanity.]

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