"Changing the 'Establishment'"

Saturday night the candidates--especially the Democrats--seemed to sing those empty words loud and long. Me? I was changing the channel back to Jags-Steelers. Anyway, here's George Will, calling it like I see it:

Huckabee fancies himself persecuted by the Republican "establishment". . . .
Huckabee says that "only one explanation" fits his Iowa success "and it's not a
human one. It's the same power that helped a little boy with two fish and
five loaves feed a crowd of 5,000 people." God so loves Huckabee's politics that
He worked a Midwest miracle on his behalf? Should someone so delusional control
nuclear weapons?

Speaking of delusions, Edwards seems unaware that the world market sets
the price of oil. He says a $100-a-barrel price is evidence of --surging demand
in India and China? Unrest in Nigeria's oil fields? No, "corporate greed." That
is Edwards's explanation of every unpleasantness.

Although Huckabee and Edwards profess to loathe and vow to change
Washington's culture, each would aggravate its toxicity.

Each overflows with and wallows in the pugnacity of the self-righteous
who discern contemptible motives behind all disagreements with them and who
therefore think that opponents are enemies and differences are
unsplittable . . . .

The way to achieve Edwards's and Huckabee's populist goal of reducing
the role of "special interests," meaning money, in government is to reduce the
role of government in distributing money.