London Calling Crazy

Apparently we are getting back at the Brits for burning our Capitol Building by assaulting them with Glenn Beck:

Watching Beck, who sometimes resembles a snake-oil salesman’s dim-witted assistant accidentally promoted to the top job, makes a foreigner wonder just what’s happening to American conservatism. I confess that I find it impossible to determine whether Beck’s show is serious or, as seems more probable, an elaborate practical joke played on his unwitting audience. I don’t want to seem forward or rude, but one can’t help but ask: Have you people lost your minds?

I'm surprised the Republicans are letting this happen. Glenn Beck can be a very useful tool for the Right here in America, where it's so easy to scare stupid people into such a panic that they're instantly running into each other with fire extinguishers straight out of a Three Stooges scene, but the British seem to be a more calm, collected crowd. Also, they don't tend to vote in American elections. So his usefulness may be negated by his, oh, I'm hung over/tired, let's just say "craziness." Even if I was a staunch teabagger, I think I'd be a little uneasy about Beck being displayed to our neighbors around the globe so readily - I would think I'd wanna keep him tucked away, a lá the crazy, blathering-to-himself great uncle stowed in the basement: occasionally useful if need be, but you don't really want him walking around for the neighbors to see him.