Phanton Menaces

Mark Goldberg catches Fred Thompson in two separate, yet nearly simultaneous, instances of revealing himself to be a moron in ways that don't count as "gaffes" because they were done by a Republican and because they concern important points of diplomacy and international law. First, Fred Thompson said "the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights declared that international human rights law requires all nations to adopt strict gun control laws" but it, um, doesn't say any such thing. Then he went on to say that the UN doesn't recognize the existence of a right to self-defense which, again, it does.

Thompson's ignorance on these subjects is, of course, disturbing. Equally disturbing is that he's clearly going out of his way to work this business into his campaign appearances. It's odd campaign rhetoric that lets you know what interests contenders really think they need to pander to, and apparently Thompson and his staff feel that the black helicopter constituency is a powerful force inside the GOP. And, of course, insofar as they seem like they stand some chance of prevailing upon the Senate to block the Law of the Sea Treaty, that just further confirms it.