Quick Hits: Volume XXX

-As Michele Bachmann's star continues to rise amongst the GOP hopefuls for President, it would appear the scrutiny of her would be ratcheted up as well. And if anyone is prepared for such a process, it would be Bachmann. Between her time as a Minnesota State Senator and U.S. Congresswoman, her unapologetic social conservatism has so inflamed the political left that any article written about Bachmann results in reader comments containing such adjectives as "crazy b--ch", "bat sh-t crazy", "psycho", etc. In fact, the word "flaky" (slang for "wacky" or "eccentric") seems tame in comparison.

But when a fair and upstanding veteran journalist like Chris Wallace asks her point blank in an interview "Are you a flake?", that's pretty low budget.

Suppose Wallace had perpetuated certain narratives assigned to other candidates. Can you see him asking Tim Pawlenty "Are you dull?" Or Ron Paul "Do you wear a tin foil hat?" How about Mitt Romney "Hey, are you a giant phony?"

I'm not about to imply here that Wallace is a misogynist or that Bachmann should be shielded from tough questions. But it seems to me there was a more dignified way to broach that subject, such as "Some of your more harsh critics describe you as a 'flake.' What is it about you that would conjure up such a description?"

Then again, what do I know? I haven't been a journalist for 30+ years.


-One of the more storied franchises in Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday. What started out as a nasty divorce between club owner Frank McCourt and wife (former team CEO) Jamie has so financially hampered the Dodgers organization that there were doubts as to the team covering payroll this week.

As such, Duane "Generalissimo" Patterson, producer of Hugh Hewitt's radio show, came up with a great analogy to aptly convey these tough economic times in America and how President Barack Obama attempts to address such issues.

If the Dodgers were the economy & (Frank) McCourt was Obama, he'd be proposing massive ticket price hikes right now.

And if Jamie McCourt were the First Lady, peanuts and cracker jacks would be replaced by tofu and rice cakes.


-Less than one week ago, the Minnesota Twins scored eight 1st inning runs against the San Francisco Giants en route to a 9-2 win. It was their 15th victory in 17 games. The Twins have played 62 innings since that eight-run outburst in the opening frame last Tuesday ---- and have scored a grand total of NINE runs, going 0-6 overall. And in the proverbial blink of an eye, that glimmer of hope has turned into a nuclear meltdown, and the club once again owns the worst record in the American League.

Yes, it's that all too familiar tune of one step up and two steps back.

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