TO THE SUCKER ALL MEN ARE CON MEN:

Dems face 'sucker punch' on taxes (David Rogers, Feb 28, 2008, Politico)

A year ago, healthy revenue projections allowed the new majority to sail past the question of whether Congress would extend all or only part of President Bush’s tax cuts, due to expire after 2010. Today’s budget landscape is much more difficult, and the tighter margins give Republicans more leverage to demand that Democrats spell out what tax cuts they would keep — and which would be lost.

“That is the sucker punch they want. They want that fight,” says Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), watching from the relative safety of the House. And given Senate rules allowing dozens of targeted budget amendments, it could be open season for Republicans, who are eager to draw a sharper line between their likely nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, and the two leading Democrats, Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

Mr. Emanuel unwittingly echoes Friend Perlstein's comment yesterday about conservatives being con men. At the point where you think the other side is cheating just because you have to defend your ideology, you've lost the argument.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 28, 2008 1:07 PM