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Against "Derangement Syndrome"

Alex Knapp, on this stupid conservative tic of dismissing any criticism of their favorite politicians as "Bush Derangement Syndrome" (Or Palin, etc.):

This is fascinating to me on a number of levels. Not the least of which is that it’s pretty apparent that the tossing about of the “[insert name here] Derangement Syndrome” card is primarily a sad attempt to ignore argument or, at the very least, evidence of a refusal to comprehend that somebody else might see the world (horrors!) differently.

For my own part, the most fascinating aspect of this “Derangement Syndrome” is that it is most prominently used in the defense of two politicians (Bush and Palin) who have really lousy records of their time in office. Especially from a conservative perspective. For Bush’s part, well, res ipsa loquitor–at this point we all know his record.

As for Palin, this is a woman who, as both Mayor and Governor, raised taxes, spent prolifigately, eagerly sought out federal pork, and was more than happy to heap subsidies on big businesses. All of which, as far as I can tell, make her just another mediocre Alaskan politician.