A tale of two governors

By Michael J.W. Stickings

1. Yesterday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a conservative Republican and occasional secessionist, suggested that the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico may have been "an act of God" that could not have been prevented." Needless to say, he wants offshore oil drilling to continue.

2. Also yesterday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a moderate Republican with an independent streak and a solid environmental record, reversed his position on offshore oil drilling in the wake of the spill. He is now against it: "You turn on the television and see this enormous disaster, you say to yourself, 'Why would we want to take on that kind of risk?'"

Perry, evidently, is insane, while Schwarzenegger continues to be one of the few voices of reason and responsibility in a party that generally shuns reason and responsibility altogether.