Ahh, Marcus Tullius Cicero!  One of the two perfect Roman avatars of conservatism—a politically timid social climber and endless self-promoter, who made himself useful to an establishment that secretly despised him with eloquence and his ability to make Old Boy Cronyism and paranoia seem understandable—even laudible.  A man of no fixed convictions and questionable accomplishments, a man who is essentially famous for making himself famous, and having a decent way with words.

Marcus Tullius Cicero.  The man, the myth, the putz.

Though he didn’t deserve to go the way he did.

@John Ball—Man, that was fast.

Thanks for the backgrounder. Most frothing wingers only know that Cicero was one of those “Golden Age” Greeks who took a hard line against the Muslims. ;->

The average Right Winger thinks the entire Ancient World talked with British accents.  As the whole era is a bit of a hobby of mine, I can pull up facts on a moment’s notice.  If you want to know the last claimant to the title of ‘Roman Emperor of the West’ whose claim was more authoritative than “I say so”, I’m the guy to speak to.  (Hint—it’s not Romulus Augustulus.)

The second Roman conservative I was thinking of is Cato the Younger, by the way, the universally respected drunkard, hypocrite, and greedy bastard.  Then again, pulling your own intestines out to commite suicide does tend to impress people.

Do me a favor, then, and punch Victor Davis Hanson—the worst classical scholar since Geoffrey of Monmouth.

As a member of the depraved electorate I have to wonder why I’m sitting at home Saturday night instead of out debauching.

As I’m fond of pointing out from time to time, my favorite Senator (Franken) predicted this a long time ago. It was in his book, Lies, where he discussed the 2000 election season. There, he explains, the GOP and the American Right sent a loud and clear message to the American people, “...elect Gore, and we’ll nuke the living fuck out of him just like we did the last guy.”

It took eight more years for the warning to come to fruition, but can anyone tell me where Franken’s observation has been wrong? I mean, for fuck’s sake, the combined efforts of the right to publicly lynch the president have extended to Matt Drudge providing commentary because it rained on the president.

But we know this. You can’t be involved in politics even a little bit without fully understanding that about a fifth of this country has never, and will continue to do nothing but undercut this president at every opportunity, and if no opportunity presents itself, they will just make shit up. We know this.

What I find myself now wondering is, do they think the same won’t happen to their guy? I mean, is this the cycle we are doomed to repeat over and over again because that’s where this is heading. I’m fairly certain that once President Obama leaves office, if he’s replaced by a Republican the GOP will have carpet bombed any possibility of “cross the aisle” support with tactical nukes.

Wait, that’s what they have done.

So exhausting.

So stupid.

As for the quote, the funny thing about fools? They talk about fools without even thinking about solutions.

First time I’ve ever been proud to be deemed a fool.

That first quote makes a lot of sense if ‘Barack Obama’ is replaced by ‘George Bush’. I suspect the quote is Bush-era and updated by changing the name of the President.

Cicero wasn’t Greek

I know. I was just funnin’ the Winger compulsion to lump all classical personages into a big wad of sandals, togas and marble columns where everyone talked like the dub-talent in a Hercules movie, and all of them were openly packing on the street.

Greece, Rome—it don’t matter. They both hated the Muslims and Commies, just like all good Americans.

The average Right Winger thinks the entire Ancient World talked with British accents.

I’m getting Dick van Dyke in a toga.

2 things. First, where was the anonymous voice of reason during the last Presidential term- and Secondly, it sounds a lot like they’re trying to evoke the AntiChrist without using the word itself.

Move in, crap all over everyone and everything, then slither out of town and call the Health Department in order to assign blame for your mess- anonomously.