The "Progressive"

blogosphere is in a tizzy over this piece which includes what John McCain says is the biggest long-term threat to the economy here, and that's "Islamic extremism."

He deserves every bit and more criticism over those dumb remarks. Basically, though, the security issue is the only issue the Republicans have going for them into the fall campaign, so naturally McCain and the Republicans have to do contortion acts, no matter how ridiculous they sound.

Charlie Black's remarks about another terraist attack on American soil being advantageous to McCain has also received widespread criticism, even though it is the truth. Terra and the fear factor, along with vote-rigging, have worked like a charm for the GOP in recent years.

As for this election cycle, the terra issue and of course a piss-poor presumptuous nominee on the opposing team are all they've got, but they're probably enough to win in a landslide.

And what about those economic policies? McCain, who married into wealth, doesn't care about the older unemployed workers who cannot find wealthy spouses to sponge off of:

To begin, they'll still have to find another job - McCain hasn't softened his position on that. He has shown zero interest in propping up dying industries, even if to do so would alleviate economic suffering in the short term. And we know that unlike Obama, who has wavered, McCain is dead set against protectionist trade policies. ("I stand for free trade," he said at a Boston press conference, "and with all the difficulties and economic troubles we're in today, there's a real bright spot, and that's our exports. Protectionism does not work and it will not work, and I look forward to that debate between myself and Senator Obama.") But in his new more sensitive mode, at least he's talking about a plan to ease the transition. He says he wants to give workers more control over how they choose to spend their benefit money, plus added incentives to get the training they need to land a better job, preferably in an industry that has a future. And he's offering "special, targeted assistance" to workers over 55.

The kicker is Obama is no better in terms of economic policies. He's surrounded by libertarian nutjob advisers who would do much the same thing.

As bad as McCain is, Obama would be worse because he would have the "prestige" of being a "Democrat" who would achieve the same goals as the Republicans.

We REALLY need a "none of the above" choice that would actually count.