Why does anyone listen to Bill Kristol?

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Politico:

Once again, Bill Kristol gets his way — and once again, watch out.

For two consecutive presidential cycles now, the founding editor of the Weekly Standard has successfully led the conservative media drumbeat for a bold vice presidential pick: In 2008, he fervently supported and promoted Sarah Palin for months before the country even knew her name. In 2012, he urged Mitt Romney to "go for the gold" with Paul Ryan.

Obviously, it wasn't just Krazy Kristol. Ryan was being promoted by any number of conservatives, most of whom were uncomfortable with Romney to begin with and had gotten worried because of recent polls showing Romney falling back.

Ryan's the right-wing ideologue of their wildest fantasies, a devotee of Ayn Rand who hopes to turn the federal government into a thing of the past. The only thing that could make Kristol ejaculate even harder would be for him to advocate the immediate carpet-bombing of Iran.

But Kristol swung and missed and tore every ligament in his body with Palin in '08. Ryan may not be another Palin, not quite, but there's no way the American people are buying his far-right agenda, and conservatives like Kristol are delusional if they think they have the electorate on their side. (Which is why they try to keep the devilish details of their plan secret. Get elected on a platform of vagueness, then unleash the revolution. That's their key to success.)

It seems to me that when Kristol recommends someone, you should run as fast as possible the other way.

Mitt Romney, needless to say, didn't get the message.