It's getting increasingly difficult for anyone to argue that the current Republican field is anything but a collection of maniacs pandering to a collection of lunatics.
"We will carpet bomb [ISIS] into oblivion. I don’t know if sand can glow in the dark, but we’re going to find out," [Ted Cruz] said at the Rising Tide Summit in Cedar Rapids.
For those of you who have been living in a cave or bunker since, say, the 1950s—and I promise, none of us would blame you—bomb them until they glow is the mating call of the apocalyptic nuclear warbird. Drab plumage, but they've got quite the pipes for such tiny things.
This is the part where we are supposed to say that no, of course a sitting Republican senator and would-be keeper of the nuclear button is not really suggesting that he would use nuclear bombs to dislodge ISIS from the Syrian cities and towns under their control. He is just implying the ultimate war escalation for momentary political effect, because he knows it makes certain members of his crowd orgasm in their seats. He is not really an unhinged lunatic who comes to nearly all of his own political beliefs by taking the most batshit crazy thing anyone else ever said, then doubling down on it.
And truly, what sort of lunatic would you have to be to hear all those various batshit crazy things and think to yourself, wow, this batshit crazy man is making some solid points and should be placed in a position of power?
Cruz received some of the loudest applause during his speech for saying the U.S. would not enforce Sharia law. He also earned cheers from the audience for calling multiple times to abolish the Internal Revenue Service.
I'm beginning to think we may have been overestimating the intelligence of the Republican voter all along.
I'm also beginning to think that the eventual Iowa caucus winner will be decided by an onstage belching contest.