The Great Leaders of the Democratic Party

Jay Nordlinger's one of my favorite reads, and his latest Impromptus had two soundbites from Democrats that featured brilliant reactions...

And here's Sen. Barbara Boxer, on John Bolton, Bush's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations: "He's been very contemptuous of the U.N." Well, no sh**, senator. And you haven't? You weren't contemptuous when Saddam Hussein's government chaired the nuclear-disarmament committee? You weren't contemptuous when Qaddafi's Libya and Assad's Syria chaired the human-rights committee? You're not contemptuous that China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe, and other beauts sit on that committee?

You weren't contemptuous when the U.N. stood by as thousands were slaughtered in the Balkans? You haven't been contemptuous at the U.N.'s performance in Rwanda, and Congo, and Sudan?

Liberalism used to mean something — e.g., opposition to tyranny and lies. And now? Opposition to George W. Bush seems most important.

...Another great leader? Howard Dean, chairman of the National Democratic Committee. He said that Sen. Rick Santorum, the Pennsylvania Republican, should "stay in Virginia," where he lives as he works on Capitol Hill. But, Dean cracked, "Santorum is too much of a right-winger for Virginia. How about Venezuela?"

Huh? Does he realize that Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan strongman, is a Castroite?

But then, this is the Democratic leader whose favorite book in the New Testament is Job.

Next time someone mocks Tom DeLay, ask them whether the GOP faithful wants DeLay running for President. Then ask them why many Dems want people like Boxer and Dean as their President.