54-46 Update

I caught Rush's appearance (by telephone) on CNBC this morning. Mark Haines and Erin Burnett did their "good cop, bad cop" routine (is that still legal?), with Haines doing his producer's bidding and acting the curmudgeon, while Burnett said "hey, the tax reduction proposals make sense".

To be honest, I don't know if Haines was playing the role of thick-headed MSM numbskull, or if he really is as thick-headed as he appeared. He wondered where Rush was on "bi-partisanship" after the 2004 election. I guess he didn't get the nature of the ploy, though Rush tried to help by explaining that "bi-partisanship" is a joke, even when you package it as "post-partisanship" and smile.

With the publication today of his 54-46 proposal in the WSJ, Rush is getting some real traction with this gambit. "Illustrating absurdity with absurdity" has long been his trademark, and I'm sure he's especially delighted that so many of the left's religious fanatics are taking the bait. But obviously, this is not all about fun and games.

As Hugh Hewitt noted in his politico.com piece today, "I won" has got to go up in every GOP locker room in the country. Not because anyone's complaining about the victor claiming spoils. But because this phony who played the race-card to the White House is telling the world what he really thinks about "post-partisanship": if you don't like a budget in a time of crisis being filled to the brim with ward-healing, machine-building, special interest-tending lard, that's too damn bad, "I won". Rush is calling him on it, and in his absurd way, he's making them nervous.