The Changemaker hits Carville

James Carville, the Democratic strategist, longtime Clinton devotee and the Beltway's undisputed leader in total baldness, turned in the line of the campaign several days ago, saying that if HRC "gave [Obama] one of her cajones, they'd both have two."

So on "Nightline" yesterday, the recently emasculated High Priest of Hyde Park felt the need to hit back, remarking that the Ragin' Cajun "is well-known for spouting off his mouth without always knowing what he's talking about." The junior senator wasn't done, also saying that Carville was all about "a lot of talk and not getting things done for the American people."

Um...

First of all, Senator, he's an adviser. He is not a politician. Carville did not rack up the most liberal voting record in the United States Senate in 2007, according to the nonpartisan National Journal, nor did he vote with his own party 97% of the time, according to Congressional Quarterly. Likewise, Carville was in the midst of helping balance the budget during Clinton's second term and helped achieve a bipartisan overhaul of the nation's severely outdated welfare system. Your notable bipartisan accomplishments, Senator, consist of ... well ... . perhaps your staff can send us a memo.

Secondly, perhaps Obama would be better off playing nice with the man who helped orchestrate victories in two separate presidential elections, one of them a most convincing thumping of an incumbent, and who was the closest adviser to one of the most popular presidents of the 20th century. When one gets past strategy and the discussion turns to the proper role of government, Carville and I are rarely on the same page. But the man is a truly brilliant strategist -- the GOP has no one like him -- and if Carville was a member of Team Hope, I believe the Changemaker would have wrapped up the nomination long ago.

Obama had better be careful when going after fellow Dems, especially those with the credibility and clout of Carville. Despite having cornered the market among those who have suffered a cessation of brain functions, His Hopeness will need a unified Democratic Party to defeat McCain in November.

I've been long wondering what exactly it is that the Changemaker speaks of when he mentions the "politics of hope." Whatever it is, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, and assume his attacks on Carville were a temporary diversion into the old, tired politics of yesterday.