UPDATE " Clueless" Comment Wiped from Republic?

Looks like it.

While dinking around here trying to tweak the site, I just accidentally lost a post titled "Clueless in the Desert," about editorialist Doug MacEachern's belated discovery that RepubliCons are in trouble in November. Someone well known to Pico posted a comment about MacEachern's Rip Van Winkel observation, and I had repeated it here.

While digging on my hard drive and on the Republic's site to find that clipped copy, I discovered that the Republic appears to have removed that comment. (It follows, in full). Curious. Last night there were 9 or 10 comments plainly visible online. This morning here are only two. Censored? I'm thinkin'. I guess the truth hurt too much?

Naw. I guess they didn't want their readers reminded.

Gee, it's too bad I had forgotten last night about AZ Republican political consultant Nathan Sproul's excellent little adventures destroying Democrats' voter registration forms before the 2004 election. I'd have made sure to mention that, too. See Blog for Arizona's summary of Mark Crispin Miller's testimony about Sproul and his Ghouls before the House Committee on the Judiciary, May 14, 2008.

Yesterday's lost "Clueless in the Desert" post in full:

Columnist Doug MacEachern, editorial writer for the ZZZZ, er, AZ Republic and stalwart Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Rove-Rice-Feith-Libby guy, suddenly today woke up and smelled the coffee. Not before editorialists and columnists in every leading paper and news mag had done the same, mind you. No trail blazer he. [He writes:]

"Republicans are facing hostile electorate this fall." May. 16, 2008 12:00 AM

"Republicans have every right to be panicked about their congressional prospects this fall. Absolutely all the indicators are against them, including the shocking special-election results in the South, a former GOP stronghold. The public rejection of the Republican brand may be even worse. It's not just that the public gave them their shot in 1994, which they blew. Voters may not even want Republicans who truly are committed to conservative principles. Doug MacEachern, editorial writer."

To which one someone well known to Pico responded as follows (permission to quote was granted):

Oh my! Can't think why! Well, it's not about genuine conservative principles. Those went away with Ike. It's about trashing our economy, our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights. Imperial presidency. Politicized Justice Department. Eviscerated Legislative branch. Prostituted Pentagon. Polluted Judicial branch. Kow-towing to freaky fringe Christianists. Pillaging the US Treasury for crony donors and blocking investigation thereof. Illegal domestic spying. Celebrating torture. Abandoning the US working class. Destroying the US middle class. Pimping the stock market (Enron) and the mortgage/lending industry to Bear Stearns et al. Alienating the whole world. Seeding the Middle East with brand new jihadists.

My Republican Paratrooper Captain father, who lost an eye in Africa in WWII, would die of shame and rage. Only cowards torture. Only cowards bully. Only cowards give their own freedoms up to kneel in fear. Only little people lie, cheat, and steal. Only treason sums this adequately. Mad? Ya think?

Any Republican "truly committed to conservative principles" would have stood with us and demanded impeachment a long time ago. None did. What can we conclude from that? The Ike Republican died when he did. From Nixon on, it's been just a bunch of kiss-up, money-worshipping SOBs for whom absolutely no human rights violation, no screw job, and no sellout of America is too much to crow about.

Yeah. The only way the GOP can pull it out in November is to manufacture touch-screen voting machines that can be fixed by last minute repair guys at the precinct stations, require picture IDs (like undocumented workers are going to go to the polls? Are you CRAZY?), and cleanse Democrats and young voters from the voting rolls.

Oh. Wait.