Strange Bedfellows

Juan Cole makes an interesting point about the Schiavo tragedy: By shoving themselves into a private matter, DeLay and his cronies are acting just like fundamentalist Islamic partisans of the Middle East:

Like many of his fundamentalist counterparts in the Middle East, Tom Delay is rather cynically using this issue to divert attention from his own corruption. Like the Muslim fundamentalist manipulators of Hisba, Delay represents himself as acting on behalf of a higher cause. He said of the case over the weekend, ' "This is not a political issue. This is life and death," '

Republican Hisba will have the same effect in the United States that it does in the Middle East. It will reduce the rights of the individual in favor of the rights of religious and political elites to control individuals. Ayatollah Delay isn't different from his counterparts in Iran.

Exactly. And I don't think the public appreciates this sort of Congressional meddling. Democrats should, no pun intended, hammer this home for the next year and a half until the 2006 election.

(note: sorry for the slow posting today--it's been a busy morning).