Rats Fleeing the Ship Responsible Conservatives Watch

Rosa Brooks had a fun column in Thursday's Los Angeles Times indulging in one of my recently found pleasures: noting who among the right has the stones to say what needs to be said about the current election. Among the latest: Christopher Buckley (son of William F. Buckley, I remind you) -- who endorsed Obama last week on The Daily Beast, whereupon he was invited to give up his gig at The National Review (founded by WFB, I again remind you).

Pass the popcorn, I'd say, except, as Rosa reminds us in closing, it's not completely party time:

But enjoyable as it's been to watch conservatives flee from the GOP, something about all this leaves me feeling a little down. Because as the more respectable, literate conservatives distance themselves from the GOP, increasingly, the only ones left on the right are paranoid, rage-driven, xenophobic nuts. Bitter? You betcha! Twisted too!

[...]

... today, as the last few sober grown-ups leave the party, the visible face of the GOP increasingly looks like that of the people who shout "kill him!" when Obama's name comes up, who speak of black men they don't like as "uppity" or as "boys," who think you can't trust a Muslim or an Arab, who think talking about "Barack Hussein Osama" is witty and (I'm talking to you, Sarah Palin and John McCain) who claim Obama "pals around with terrorists."

This isn't really that funny anymore.

So, let us salute Christopher Buckley, as we have earlier saluted others from the right who have seen the light. Let us also hope that McCain finds it within himself to bring his disastrous campaign to somewhat more of an honorable end.

[Added] Nah, strike that last thought. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing more delightful than watching the rats who remain, after expelling their brighter lights for apostasy, turn to gnaw on each other.

[Added] Another salute, at least half a one, is in order, for Sen. Susan Collins, (R-ME).