Recently I've been emailing back and forth with NY Independent/Republican friends about environmental and political issues. During the correspondence, I was questioned as to why I often felt compelled to mention that "Bush is an idiot." And it was furthermore suggested that I and other liberals were claiming an impossibility that Bush could be an idiot and simultaneously a crafty manipulator (as indeed it takes a certain amount of intelligence to hoodwink people).

So I took it upon myself to try and explain this conundrum, and how it could be true that the man can be both.

My email reply follows after the flip. For you all, it might just read like  a screed, but after you check it out, I am curious if others have had to sort through this puzzle of logic.

My email also hits on Obama as a crossover candidate. I really do think guys like these friends are super important to win over, and I guess that might be a separate discussion, but my primary goal in this diary is to hear how others have wrestled with the incongruous idea of Bush as both idiot and manipulator.

While pondering the dilema that is Florida and Michigan redux, I came up with a novel idea. As opposed to taking Carville's bait and agreeing to some kind of revote, there may be another card for the Obama camp to play.

6/18/07

Dear Vice President Al Gore,

I just got a letter from you on behalf of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Thanks for thinking of my wallet in these difficult times…

You mention several reasons why I should be supporting more Democrats in the Senate, but I have to take issue with the idea that Senate Democrats will solve the problems.