Oh those pesky endorsements . . .
from Palestinian Authority leader and sometime terrorist Yasser Arafat, Kim Jong Il, North Korea's totalitarian dictator, Fidel Castro (who needs no introduction), former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, President Jacques Chirac of France and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of Germany, just keep coming. So do the gaffes, like "the rights that we afford people." And let's not forget a few good comments from a staunch supporter, always willing to lend a helping hand.

One would think that'd be enough for a campaign to go into panic mode. The panic signs are all there: lame duck hunting expeditions (where of course, "someone else carried the bird he said he shot", but "none witnessed Kerry taking any shots") to appeal to the rifle demographic; giddy statements over the Red Sox; commercials are being written, edited, produced and put on satellites for the purpose of generating news articles, just so there's spin to the spin, and let's not forget fraudulent voter registrations and the crackhouse Chad.

Then there's the sympathetic "Sucking Democracy Dry" article and cartoon, and the meddling British newspaper. Plus the fearmongering on Social Security and the draft, the blame game on the flu vaccine, combined with insulting one of the oponents for getting flu shots.

More telling, a former president will be campaigning in a blue state, while the recount strategy and the armies of Florida lawyers are lined up, with promises not to "repeat Al Gore's mistakes" on the recounts.

And let's not forget a last-minute flip-flop: now the Patriot Act doesn't go far enough.

If this doesn't look like someone's pushed the panic button, I don't know what does.

Update To add to the ignominy, Dan K. O'Leary (who's wanting to buy beer) has a soundboard where the candidate can debate himself.