Republicans on the March

The Republicans are past masters at the art of hypocrisy, even down to their outrage if anyone tries the same approach on them. For years they've been happy to employ all the savage arts of sexism against Hillary Clinton, but have been yelping like puppies because their new heroine has had to suffer it a bit for a couple of days. They have been bitter in their denunciation of parents whose children carelessly get pregnant outside of wedlock, although for a once little known family from Alaska it is essentially a private matter and one for praise and admiration. And, of course, they are keen to laud John McCain's war record as virtually beyond judgement, although four years ago they besmirched the name of another war veteran while rallying behind a spoilt rich boy who went no nearer military service than the Texas Air National Guard - from which he promptly went AWOL.

Republicans are wretched people, but the real problem for their nominated candidate is that he appears to be fighting Republicans as much as anyone in his campaign, and his followers are at best tepid in their support, reserving their real enthusiasm for his number 2. If you're John McCain, you should be seriously worried that your Republican base really thinks it's fighting for a Palin presidency. The appointment that was meant to freshen his campaign, has ended up overshadowing it; whatever McCain's pitch, Palin places his campaign firmly in the heart of traditional, fundamentalist Republicanism. The very thing he once fought against.