Idiocy from Margaret Carlson, who's thought to be a liberal:

The Democrats are trying to get through to a public who, on the one hand, hopes that toppling Saddam actually makes them safer and, on the other, is entertained and impressed by Bush landing in a fighter jet on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. Democrats point out how artificial and choreographed the whole enterprise was. But it's a little like Christmas. Not believing in Santa Claus doesn't stop you from loving those presents under the tree.

Exactly what evidence do we have that the public was "entertained and impressed" by that cheap stunt? Maybe Mr. and Mrs. America really did enjoy it (my guess is that only Mr. America did) -- but all I know for sure is that the press keeps repeating the line that this was a great and impressive event that will generate many devastatingly effective campaign images, with no supporting evidence except all the other stories that say the same thing.

Me, I'll wait for the polls. I want to see whether surveys conducted after the Top Gun photo op show increasing disapproval of Bush by women, blacks, and registered Democrats -- the groups that are traditionally less susceptible to the charms of tuff-guy Republicans who act like overgrown eleven-year-olds. My hunch is they will.