Helen Thomas, Dan Rather and Keith Oberman was still active. Pat Buchanan is still sharper than all of them. Yet Buchanan has lost much of his relevance, but by MSM standards he still better than a lot.

David

Sharp? Well that's debatable, but I'm really more annoyed with the fact that he's a blustery asshole.

I love the one-stop asshole shopping that can be called the McLaughlin Group.

Each week, you get a dose of Larry O'Donnell, Eleanor Clift and Pat Buchanan.

The only reasonable person on that show is Tony Blankley. And, frankly, by the standards set by Larry, Eleanor and John McLaughlin, Pat Buchanan actually looks quite sane.

Amen on TMG! I can't stand anyone on that show besides Blankley. And don't get me started on Clift.

"Blustery asshole" comes close. Arrogant, self-rightoeus, in love with his own voice, blustery asshole comes closer.

See, I really think he ought to be put out to pasture (asshole or not), and you went through all the trouble to link to an justification for doing so. Seems kind of redundant to me, but I'm new at this blogging thing.

I was fine with your post just the way it was.

I think a nice pasture far, far away would be in order-think Canada would take him?

No, we should put him out to pasture in Israel.

Sharp? Well that's debatable, ...

What? I didn't say anything!

Out to pasture? Pat took care of that quite a while ago himself. Other than CNBC, what venue is more pastoral than MSNBC?

Talk about straining at gnats! No need to kick a guy when he is down. Let Pat be - he's within epsilon of being completely silent as it is.

Two reasons:

1. He can always be counted on to knock other Republicans, especially Republicans named Bush. The media are always looking for those (see McCain, Hagel & Lugar). He argues a point that is particularly beloved of the Left right now, that the Republican Party has been hijacked by a bunch of neocons, and that it's nothing like true conservatism.

2. The man has enormous personal charisma. It doesn't come off on TV, but in person he's right up there with Bill Clinton. I met him at a GOP event in 1992 in Arizona and I was absolutely mesmerized (although there was no way I was giving him my vote in the primary, which was what he was after).

BTW, his books are quite well worth reading as (believe it or not) are Clift's. The one Eleanor wrote (with her husband), War Without Bloodshed, on Hillary's health care debacle is without a doubt one of the five best books on politics I have ever read.