Englehart makes the point, inadvertently

Poor pitiful editorialists who can't think of anything better to do than to chide Ralph Nader for telling the truth. You'd think they'd embrace someone who is not part of the mainstream, not pre-packaged, not prone to handing out boiler-plate PR packages for lazy journalists to reprint.

But, no.

See, Englehart's cartoon is not funny. Englehart's cartoons rarely are. But in this one, he's correct. Ralph Nader is running, not to win, but to get people to pay attention to him and his ideas. All of which are good for America. Imagine, repecting the individual, honoring freedom of speech, opening the political process to all and not just the powerful, keeping people safe and healthy. Radical ideas, eh? And Englehart even portrays him as the ultimate outsider - a madman.

Would that all our leaders were so mad.

The Courant printed a respectable, and I'd say respectful, article by Jesse Hamilton which began on page 1, this morning, which gives Nader the chance to express himself. It also gives his critics room to carp.

Most surprisingly is the dismissal of Nader by Chris Dodd. He just went down a peg in my book. Dodd feigns ultimate respect for the constitution, but he dismisses Nader as a nagging egoist.

Still, Nader gets the best of Dodd when he says:

"Dodd's silence on Lieberman is really amazing."

Lieberman, who describes himself as an "independent Democrat," has been campaigning for the Republican front-runner, Sen. John McCain. Nader said Dodd is willing to openly criticize him (Dodd also called Nader's announcement "somewhat of a yawn") but not his fellow senator. "Why doesn't he look at Lieberman as imperiling the prospects of the Democratic candidate? It's political bigotry."

Touche´Ralph.

Politicians don't understand Ralph. Politicians feel the need to be loved by everyone. Politicians deal in manipulation and compromise.

Ralph Nader doesn't care if you love him. He just wants to see progress made. He wants something to get done.

So, former Congressman and Nader Raider Toby Moffet thinks Ralph is a "tragic, islolated figure?" Maybe the Courant should have identified Moffet as a senior counselor for the Livingstone Group, a lobbying firm which represents the very kind of corporate powers which Nader fights against.

I doubt Nader will lose sleep over Moffet's criticism.