Teabagger follies (October 19th edition)

[the_archfiend]

I swear you can't make sh*t like this up:

WILMINGTON, Del. — Republican Christine O'Donnell challenged her Democratic rival Tuesday to show where the Constitution requires separation of church and state, drawing swift criticism from her opponent, laughter from her law school audience and a quick defense from prominent conservatives.

"Where in the Constitution is separation of church and state?" O'Donnell asked while Democrat Chris Coons, an attorney, sat a few feet away.

Coons responded that O'Donnell's question "reveals her fundamental misunderstanding of what our Constitution is. ... The First Amendment establishes a separation."

She interrupted to say, "The First Amendment does? ... So you're telling me that the separation of church and state, the phrase 'separation of church and state,' is in the First Amendment?"

Ah, the dumbly literal. They're always with us, I suppose (as is the USS Fatcrack, who reflexively came to O'Donnell's defense as stated in the MSNBC piece), but the rest of us might be able to piece together what the establishment clause of the First means without having to look for big, big words that might scare us too much: 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

For the umpteenth time, the bold portion of that text seems to be...well...fairly precise in meaning despite what certain very, very dumb people might think.

In other weirdo politician news, one candidate's security force gooned a journalist from an online newsjournal sponsoring a debate that candidate was supposed to be at a night later, while another candidate insulted a whole ton of people (including the ambassador from Canada) and yet another not running for office endorsed a Senatorial candidate - just not for a seat in the state he was running in.

The comedy gold, as always, flows freely come election time.