It's official: Obama's ascendency has finally made the GOP lose every political instinct they ever had.

They just don't think he should be president. He's not folks. He's the Obamanation from Kenya. He's Karl Mark. He's Malcolm X. Their incredulity and sheer racism is making them stupid. It's fascinating to watch.

Joe Barton's apology to BP today wasn't a "gaffe"; it was premeditated and heartfelt: because neither he nor his party think that Obama should be president and they're apologizing to every major industry that bankrolls them.

It was an outrageous apology, considering the anger and helplessness that the average American feels just looking at this unprecedented disaster unfold.

It's a measure of how extremist and out of touch the GOP has become that they'd even contemplate playing this card at this time. For over a year now they've cried Marx, Hitler and Stalin so loudly and so often they've almost made the comparisons meaningless.

But reality actually matters. So does a sense of decency and scale. Neither of those were present in Barton's apology today. I dread to think what's next? Perhaps an apology to the Confederacy for the hit they took to their cotton industry?

If Glen Beck thinks it will damage Obama it will run on his show tonight. That's how craven his (tea) party has become.

Between this and Arizona, the GOP (or is that the GO-PB!) are painting themselves into the narrowest corner in America. Anyone who bets against Obama always, always loses. It's past time his enemies and fair-weather friends found that out.