I love when the Republican leadership does things like belatedly endorse Strom Thurmond's Dixiecratic presidential campaign. Makes me smile. Kind of reminds me of the good old days of 1995, when Newt Gingrich et al. shut the government down and made themselves look like wackos. "Look," Clinton got to say, "they want to close your national parks." And the fun went on and on. Though I doubt any current Democratic leader is as adroit as Clinton was at sitting back and letting the Republicans cause their own trouble.

But all questions of Trent Lott's competence aside, what in God's name is Strom Thurmond doing in power? He's too old.