What's Really Shocking

So Ned Lamont is shocked at the harshness of the "attacks" against him. I guess that's what happens when one runs for the Senate with prior political experience limited to service in Greenwich local government. No doubt there are going to be a lot of surprises coming Ned Lamont's way, now that he's in the big time.

Both Lamont and Teddy Kennedy are upset that Vice president Cheney observed that terrorists could be encouraged by Lamont's primary victory. But what's really shocking is that Lamont -- who basically exploited anti-war sentiment to ride to a primary victory as a single issue candidate -- would be so hypocritical as to denounce Cheney on the grounds that the VP is supposedly using the war for political advantage. If he were, no doubt Lamont would be the first to recognize a page from his own playbook.

And it's likewise shocking that Teddy Kennedy would characterize anything coming from someone else as "ugly and frightening." Ignoring the obvious cheap shot ("and Teddy Kennedy knows 'ugly and frightening'"), he's the one who has called the war a fraud and even indulged in a little weird conspiracy theory.

What's most shocking? That politicians like Lamont and Kennedy are taken seriously by anyone, anywhere.