Vote (Republican) or die!

But Kevin, this has been the case for 40 years now, at least.

I know I'm not making an original point here. Conservatives, and neoconservatives in particular, have always thrived on a sense of being surrounded by manifest, civilization-threatening dangers. But somehow, even compared to their usual hysteria level, they seem to have turned their internal threat-o-meters up to 11 for this campaign. They're convinced that Russia is on the march, China is on the rise, Islam is a transcendent threat, we live on the cusp of world historical times, and if Barack Obama becomes president we're all probably doomed. And that's one reason the campaign has gotten so nasty. If you think the survival of the nation is at stake, you're certainly not going to be worried about a bit of freelance political smearing, are you?

That is what Nixon, Haldeman, Erlichman, Buchanan, et. al. used to justify to themselves that no level of criminality was off-limits to ensure that they, the Republicans, are the only ones capable of defending all that is right and safe in America. Ratfucking. Racism. Willie Horton. Purple band-aids. The ends justify, donchaknow.

It is true, however, that previous GOP candidates tried to appear to stay above the fray and disassociate themselves from their minions carrying out the dirty tricks. McCain, on the other hand, seems so convinced of his own superiority, so appalled by Barack Obama's candidacy, and so angry that the majority of Americans don't agree with him, that he's now leading the charge.