I’m surprised to see disgraced columnist Armstrong Williams writing in The Hill. What a joke. I guess there is no level one can stoop to that will permanently get you kicked out of The Village. In any case, Williams writes about tonight’s official start of the 2012 presidential campaign, which takes the form of a Fox News debate in South Carolina between Republican stalwarts: Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Gary Johnson, and Tim Pawlenty. How many of you know who all those people are and what elected positions (if any) they’ve held?
Armstrong Williams is right about one thing. Someone will emerge as the winner of the debate. Tim Pawlenty better hope he is perceived as the winner. I don’t understand why Pawlenty’s handlers are letting him participate at all. My guess is that they want to start introducing Pawlenty to South Carolina voters in case he is able to pull off a miracle win in either Iowa or New Hampshire. By showing the Palmetto State some early respect, maybe it will help him build up an organization down there. But it’s quite the gamble. I don’t know exactly what to expect from Herman Cain, who is a former CEO of Godfather Pizza, but Johnson and Paul will be competing to be the most libertarian. Santorum will be pushing some new man-on-dog theory to prove his socially conservative credentials. Pawlenty needs to avoid being pulled into the heat-fever swamp, and do it without looking like some kind of squishy conservative.
I’m disappointed that Michele Bachmann isn’t going to be there. Or Palin. But there will be plenty of STUPID CRAZY to go around. Unfortunately, the Associated Press is refusing to cover the event.
