Pond scum on the port bow!

Aw heck, I'm mixing metaphors. Anyhow, more volunteers for Susan Estrich's Jihad are reporting for duty.

First, there's the New York Times' inimitable Frank Rich in today's "Arts" section. Take it away, Bill Quick:

This is hilarious.

For some reason the NYT unearthed former lefty op-ed hero Frank Rich from whatever crypt he'd been buried in to write this public nervous breakdown. The libs have gone into full, unrestrained panic mode, with everybody from Estrich to Rich running wild in the streets, their aprons over their heads, shrieking in terror and despair.

And tonight, who else but Captain Dan the Newsman to provide One Last Smear:

It's not October, but the Kerry campaign is playing perhaps its final card for a surprise with the help of Dan Rather and "60 Minutes." On Wednesday, stories began breaking that Ben Barnes, the former speaker of the Texas House of Representatives and former lieutenant governor, was breaking his off and on silence and telling how he pulled strings to get a then-young George W. Bush into the Texas National Guard.
...
The CBS news source says that this Bush project is one that Dan Rather has been pushing for months. Former "60 Minutes" executive producer Don Hewitt had thought little of the project, claiming it was old news. Hewitt is now retired.

Unfortunately for Dan, ole wheeling and dealing "lobbyist" Ben Barnes is rather used goods. He's been trying out this story for years when he hasn't been involved in various Texas scandals (including the one that ended his political career) and not even the mainstream media would take more than a bite. But he has been John Kerry's 3rd largest contributor over the years and has been doing all right this year too:

CBS News reported on June 18th that Ben Barnes is one of eight "bundlers" who have raised more than $500,000 for John Kerry's campaign. He is also listed as a Vice Chair of the Kerry campaign on the John Kerry campaign website. According to the Dallas Ft. Worth Star Telegram, Barnes is one of the "gatekeepers and endorsers for Texas appointees and job-seekers" in a potential Kerry administration.

Woohoo! Think about how much clout this will give him! And Dan Rather too!

Much more at QandO and The Blogspirator from which some of the above links were taken.