...or do the teabaggers look lost without a head for their tri-corn hats?

Jonney we hardly knew ya.

Jon Huntsman has withdrawn his hat (not a colonial one) from the ring of presidential aspirants. As such, he joins one of the two groups of hopefuls who began the quest to defeat Barack Obama back around Jan 21, 2009. Huntsman's campaign tracked a similar path to that of Mitch Daniels and Tim Paulenty, namely a rational moderate politician who held rational moderate Republican beliefs in contrast to the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Tragically, these poor mopes never had a chance. Their intelligent tone was doomed to be drowned out by the second group of presidential aspirants: the Bat-Shit Crazies aka, the BSC's. The candidacies of Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Ron Paul, Donald Trump and Newt Gingrich guaranteed that no candidate with an IQ in two-digits would ever get a fair hearing. (Yes, Mitt Romney is a moderate but he has been running since 2007 and can barely garner 25% of the party. He's the cousin your mother made you take to the prom.)

Presumably South Carolina will sweep the remaining BSC candidates out of the race. That will give Mitt about ten months to drag the GOP back from BSC land. There are lots of things for Republicans to dislike about Barack Obama without: questioning his citizenship, demonizing his family or impugning his patriotism. Romney can be counted upon to keep the discourse close to the Marquess of Queensberry rules. Still, those of us who want our political leaders to at least look sane will miss Jon Huntsman.

Huntsman's unpardonable sin was his irrational rationality. Sleeping with the enemy can be forgiven but becoming the enemy's ambassador to China was beyond the pale. What kind of a Republican actually acknowledges that the other side might be right...about anything? If the hated Democrat in the White House alleges that the sky is blue (clearly another example of junk science) any conservative worth his salt must immediately offer a contrary opinion and insist that only a socialist, class warrior would say such a thing. Huntsman added a sort of anti-Fox News demeanor to the debate that conservatives found maddening. After all, who wants to hear Jon Huntsman's even-tempered response to a question when BSC quote machines like Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich are available? If the GOP wants vanilla, there's always Mitt.

Huntsman's weak-assed campaign should be a warning to future aspirants to the Republican throne. Intelligence is out. Reason is for losers. If you want to rise in the polls, bury your diploma, disavow any compromise with the enemy and dumb down your vocabulary (and for God's sake don't speak French or Mandarin.) Never put out a fire with water. Always use gasoline. Blaming your opponent is always the right answer, even if the question is "Could you please tell me the time?" Always look angry and, if possible, constipated (it seems to work for Newt.) Remember, dumb people vote. The way to get them to vote for you is never make them feel you're not one of them. Even if you don't get to be President, you can always run for Governor of Texas.