What wingnuts find so utterly galling is that -- not only are the Obamas back in the White House for another four years -- they're immensely popular people. Which is why, much to wingers like Monica's chagrin, they tend to be invited to "national events."

But beyond the obvious correlation between "millions of Americans really liking you" and "getting invited to stuff" is the precedent for appearing at the Oscars set by Ronald Reagan in 1981 and Laura Bush in 2002.

But, you know, IOKIYAR.

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Will Howard Kurtz ask Chris Wallace why FOX News decided to make Newt Gingrich's new book their number one segment of the day? Then they followed it up by interviewing Laura Bush and proceeded into their wingnut panel discussion. Not one opposing view to Newt's movement conservative high jinks.

And about Gingrich's book: Newt's proclamation that President Obama is running a Nazi-style political machine that is as dangerous as Stalin and Hitler should be enough to drum him right out of his elitist DC Beltway bubble.

Wallace seemed upset that Gingrich went all wingnutty on President Obama:

Wallace: You also write this on the screen: "The secular socialist machine represents as great a threat to America as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union once did." Mr. Speaker, respectfully, isn't that wildly over the top?

Gingrich: No, not if by America you mean....Just listen to President Obama's language. He gets to decide who earns how much. He gets to decide when it's too much.

Wallace: We're not talking about any company. We're talking about companies that the government has put billions of dollars in...

Gingrich: No, no..he has said publicly and generically. Some Americans earn too much. So now he's going to decide that?

Wallace:No, he's not. He has said that some Americans earn too much.

What Gingrich is doing is slyly trying to defend the CEO fat cats and his chummy Wall Street elites who screwed up the economy and their companies while they raked in millions of dollars, but he doesn't come right out and say it.

Movement conservatives like Newt are very adept at talking around their far-out beliefs in a way that almost makes them seem reasonable. They know how to manage the language and play it like an instrument. His tone is muted, never going off pitch and always in control. That's their edge. Karl Rove does it as well.

Gingrich, who has changed his religion almost as much as his wives then uses God to justify his odious assertions about the President and what he calls his "secular-socialist machine."

Gingrich was a bit surprised, methinks, that Wallace called him out on his "wildly over the top" attacks on Obama and I think it's because Newt is parroting the exact same beliefs as Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and the Teas Partiers which have caused quite a bit of unrest for the GOP elders. And yet, Gingrich is one of the elders---never forget that.

Gingrich is a talented manipulator of the American people and he's the one that suffers no pain when the economy crashes and burns under conservative rule. It's the average working class Americans that feel the hurt.

Newt's argument frames the usual fear-mongering, boogie man beliefs that have been passed on for generations through the Republican Party. The "Commie threat" has been used for decades and was made popular by Joe McCarthy until he was ousted as a nut. But the College Republicans of the 80s--people like Jack Abramoff, Grover Norquist and Ralph Reed--took the Soviet Union "spies have infiltrated our government" paranoia to the kind of heights that can only be described as downright delusional, coupled with a Robert Ludlum-hero worship syndrome. These guys read Russian spy novels and dressed up in army fatigues, flying around the world trying to embed themselves into the action, fighting against communism while supporting the South American Apartheid regime. And it's this mindset untethered by facts that Gingrich philosophizes on.

Gingrich: Democrats Want to Impose 'Secular-Socialist Machine'

Gingrich said that he stands by his argument that the "secular-socialist machine" represents as great a threat to America as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union, not in the sense of the immorality of those deadly regimes, but as a "threat to our way of life."

"The degree to which the secular-socialist left represents a fundamental replacement of America, a very different world view, a very different outcome, I think is a very serious threat to our way of life.

I have a lot of problems with the way the President has handled certain issues, as we've documented on the pages of C&L, but to say he's a threat to our way of life is cowardly and immoral and should exclude Gingrich from our political landscape.

Of course, in the Village, conservatives can say anything without consequences.

(h/t Mugsy)

Fox News Sunday apparently decided that the top news stories of the day were Newt Gingrich's and Laura Bush's new books (in that order, too). What oil spill? What battles in Iraq and Afghanistan? What economy? What Supreme Court nominee? What immigration reform battle? Nah, none of those are important...what Fox News viewers need to learn about is the literary efforts of "super-relevant" Republicans like the disgraced former Speaker of the House and the former First Lady of the least popular president in US history.

But eagle-eyed C&Ler Mugsy noticed something in the Bush home, where Chris Wallace interviewed Laura Bush, that should make the hairs on Glenn Beck's neck stand up on end:

LAURA BUSH IS A MAOIST SCHOLAR!

Look at the bookshelf behind Chris Wallace. Right behind his shoulder appears to be this book. Interestingly, most of the Amazon reviews describe the book as somewhat "sympathetic" to Mao.

Wait a second...you don't suppose that it's not actually Pickles who read the book, do you? That would mean that it belongs to former President George W. "I read three Shakespeares" Bush.

Does Glenn Beck know?????

Amos Lee-Soul Suckers

Did you believe them

When they told you they discovered you

And that everything is free as long as you do what they tell you to

You think it's true

But nothing could be further from the truth, my love

Did you even listen

When they told you to change your name

And that nobody wants honesty when looking at a perfect frame

Play the game

It's a particularly uninspired line up for the Sunday shows. By the sheer number of Judiciary Committee members scheduled (Chairman Pat Leahy, Ranking Minority Member Jeff Sessions, Chuck Schumer, John Kyl and Dianne Feinstein) that Supreme Court Justice nominee Elena Kagan will be the topic of choice. Elsewhere, Pennsylvania Senate Democratic rivals Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak face one another on State of the Union. And if you're looking for something a little on the lighter side, former First Lady Laura Bush will be on Fox and Friends to pimp her new book.

ABC's "This Week" - Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

CBS' "Face the Nation" - Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

NBC's "Meet the Press" - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" - Panel: Andrew Sullivan, Katty Kay, Joan Biskupic and Pete Williams. Topics: The Goldilocks Pick: Why Do Liberals Fear Elena Kagan is Just Alright? Why Politics Favors Arizona's Tough Immigration Law

CNN's "State of the Union" - Sens. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., and Bob Bennett, R-Utah; Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa.

CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - Prime Minister of Greece, the David Cameron and Nick Clegg coalition in Britain and a roundtable discussion on the global economy with Larry Summers.

"Fox News Sunday" - Former first lady Laura Bush and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

So, what's catching your eye this morning?

43 Ideas-Per-Minute: Hacking Hypocrisy

Geekosystem: Facebook's Privacy Policy is longer than the US Constitution.

Sparkle Pony: Laura Bush jumps on annoying bandwagon.

A Kagan roundup from Citizen Crain, Field Negro, Echidne, and TBogg.

And finally, Bildungblog: Hey, at least no one can call Obama a quitter.

[Mike's away for a few days. Round up by Blue Gal; send tips to bluegalsblog AT gmail.]

The wingnuts were just wild over the fact that President Obama ordered Dijon mustard on his burger. Well, C&Ler David sent in this White House web page full of Independence Day recipes: What a hoot. Dear Instapundit, Jon Stewart never mentioned anything about mustard in his burger piece and wasn't that the point of your silliness? However, your Holy leader George Bush really loves his Dijon mustard too.

President and Laura Bush's Deviled Eggs Recipe

12 large eggs, boiled hard and peeled

1 Tbsp (plus) soft butter

1 Tbsp (plus) mayonnaise

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp Yucatan Sunshine Habanero sauce

Salt to taste

Cut eggs in half and set aside. Put egg yolks in food processor and add all ingredients. Process for 20 seconds or until mixture has blended. Check for taste and increase mustard, salt or Habanero sauce if desired. Place mixture in piping bag with star tip and pipe into egg halves. Sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley. Chill for about an hour before serving.

I bet he loved his arugula too.

(click for larger image)

BEIJING - AUGUST 10: President of the United States, George W. Bush holds up the American Flag the wrong way before wife Laura Bush instructs him to turn it around at the swimming arena at the National Aquatics Center during day 2 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 10, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Write your own caption.

Usually when a tragedy strikes like a cyclone or a hurricane, one would think that Laura Bush would flash the face of being compassionate to all the suffering people instead of an attack dog politician. Wouldn't there have been a better time to criticize the government?

Froomkin:

When a country run by a despotic and isolationist regime is laid low by a massive natural disaster, the diplomatic thing to do is to respond with a show of compassion. Not kick 'em when they're down.

More than 22,000 people have died in the staggering devastation caused by this weekend's cyclone in Burma. But when First Lady Laura Bush made her first-ever visit to the White House briefing room yesterday, to talk about what's going on in that country, it was not to deliver a message of goodwill.

Rather than announce the launch of a massive relief effort that could take advantage of a rare diplomatic opening, the first lady instead tossed insults at Burma's leaders, blamed them for the high death toll, and lashed out at their decision to move forward with a constitutional referendum scheduled for this Saturday.

The traditionally issue-averse first lady's concerns about the Burmese junta and its abuses of human rights date back several years, and she's been particularly outspoken since last fall.

But why respond to a catastrophe with such hostility? The awkward timing, as it turns out, may have had something to do with an event entirely unrelated to the cyclone.

"I'm going to leave tomorrow for Crawford, for Jenna's wedding, and I wanted to be able to make a statement about Burma before I left," the first lady told reporters.

As president, George W. Bush loves to talk to those who visit the Oval Office about the rug on the floor. (He claims to have tasked Laura Bush with helping come up with a design that communicated “optimistic person” to those who saw it.)

But as governor, Bush wasn’t excited about his carpet; he was excited about a painting: “A Charge to Keep.” In 1995, he issued a memo to his Texas staff, describing the painting, by W.H.D. Koerner in 1916, which he kept on his office wall. Bush told his aides:

The reason I bring this up is that the painting is based upon the Charles Wesley hymn “A Charge to Keep I Have”. I am particularly impressed by the second verse of this hymn. The second verse goes like this: “To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill; O may it all my powers engage to do my Master’s will”

This is our mission. This verse captures our spirit. […]

When you come into my office, please take a look at the beautiful painting of a horseman determinedly charging up what appears to be a steep and rough trail. This is us. What adds complete life to the painting for me is the message of Charles Wesley that we serve One greater than ourselves.

When one looks at the painting, you see a man on horseback — who actually looks a little like Bush — apparently leading a group of missionaries. It worked for Bush on a couple of levels: the title comes from one of the president’s favorite Methodist hymns, the man in the picture looks like him, and he related to the missionary work depicted in the painting.

He liked all of this so much, Bush used the title for his autobiography (which he admittedly did not write). He even brought the picture with him to Washington upon taking office.

The funny part is the truth about the painting: "Bush’s inspiring, proselytizing Methodist is in fact a silver-tongued horse thief fleeing from a lynch mob."

I wonder how long it will take for Laura Bush to be attacked over this. Respecting customs of other cultures seems to be a horrible thing for some. I remember when Nancy Pelosi had the audacity to show some respect and the righties barked.