I have to disagree with a fellow intelligent lefty. Steven Day has a short article up stating that he isn't too worried about the attempts by the right wing to smuggle creationism into our classrooms, because it will rebound and damage them.

Opposition to the teaching of evolution is Pat Robertson & Company’s weakest link. It makes them look ignorant. It makes them look intolerant. In other words, it makes them look like themselves. And it’s the perfect "wedge issue," neatly dividing the GOP’s two core constituencies. Traditional pro business Republicans have been willing to swallow a lot to maintain this inherently illogical, but highly profitable, alliance between the Silk Stockings and the Bible Thumpers. But this is one place they won’t go. Their pride won’t allow it.

So I say to the far right, go ahead, try to slay the evolutionary dragon. My guess is this time you won’t even inherit the wind.

I wish this were true. I wish seeing wild-ass nonsense spouted by ignorant demagogues would make people scratch their heads and say, "Wait a minute…that's crazy talk. I think I need to reassess my opinion of my representatives in congress and the executive branch."

It won't happen. It's what People of Reason would do, but we're dealing with People of Faith. We're also dealing with self-interested pragmatists. Those sensible Republicans have seen that they can ride the wild nag of the Religious Right to power, and I don't see any sign that the moderates are showing any regret.

As for looking ignorant and intolerant, they don't care. Read the comments to that article; look at the way "Laurel" and "Calvin" strut their foolishness. They aren't ashamed in the slightest. Why should they be at all remorseful about the stupid policies of their favored political administration when they can't even see past their dogmatic fervor to their gross errors? George W. Bush swept the creationist vote. That, and the obscenely rich, are his base. The sad thing is that that has proved a strength, not a weakness, in the political process.