It’s not just Rush: For many decades Conservatives — from Edmund Burke to Michelle Malkin — have completely and utterly failed to decry Jonathan Swift’s call to eat Irish babies. Steve Martin’s illicit advice on how to be a millionaire and not pay any taxes — the “I forgot!” maneuver — has similarly seen tacit approval from the crackpot right for 20 or 30 years.

Charles, I noticed you linked to MediaMatters. They are why the phrase “consider the source” exists. But I’m about to say something in support of you personally.

At a recent meeting of my civil rights group — the Virginia Citizens Defense League — the president of the group put the Tea Party movement in an interesting context. He said that perhaps they were too unfocused, and what they really needed, and were finding at the booths and tables and sub-rallies at the Tea Parties, are smaller interest groups. To paraphrase, the gathering was a greivance carnival; not every person was interested in the same flavor of slushee or the cotton candy.

Many of us — Charles and myself included — did not allow much leeway when our liberal friends claimed that the radicals and Communists among the anti-war protests were just a small fringe, and that the rallies were not poluted. While I argue that the Paulians and birthers and truthers and racists really are a small fringe amidst the Tea Partiers, I have to agree with Charles that their presence tends to discredit the movement. But we need to make an effort to resolve it, to make the movement coherent — which may result in a smaller movement, but a more commited and stronger one. The left took the approach to welcome in the fringe and lie about doing so (e.g. Van Jones). We do not share their low level of integrity. So they way forward is not easy or clear, except that maintaining our principles is of utmost importance.