Is Stacy McCain losing it?

First off, let me tell you that I like Stacy McCain. His "The Other McCain" blog is very informative and entertaining. I've contributed to his "shoe-leather" fund on a number of occasions. But I am completely confused by his recent rant about not having access to what he calls "Team Sarah". I presume he means Sarah's inner circle. In a recent post, he wrote this:

I’m feeling like a mushroom here. IYKWIMAITYD.

UPDATE III: Dan Riehl rushes to join the Worldwide Universal Association of People Smarter Than Stacy McCain:

Whatever Palin is doing by way of preparation for a run is not what one is accustomed to seeing. Stacy is looking for the expected, not seeing it and concluding it’s too late for her. I’m looking at what I know and don’t know, while leaving a little room for what I don’t know I don’t know and concluding she’s running. Simple, isn’t it?

When I talked to Dan by phone a few minutes ago, he said, “Stacy don’t take it personally.” But when I am insulted — and to be purposefully excluded is to be insulted — it would compound my humiliation not to take notice of the insult.

Bear in mind that the people on Team Sarah have my phone number and e-mail address, and I know they read this blog. It wasn’t exactly a secret that I was in Iowa last week, and it was possible for them to let me know their itinerary. Instead, as always, they allow other news organizations — including liberal news organizations inimicable to their own interests — break exclusive news about their Iowa trip, while purposefully keeping me out of the loop. And when I dare take notice of these unsubtle backhands, I’m accused of being “too sensitive.”

When I want to make a fool out of myself, I don’t usually ask for help in doing so, and appreciate all this volunteer assistance from Team Sarah.

Okay, this started out as one of Stacy's articles on The American Spectator.

What I took exception to was the headline of his blog piece: Blogging About Pathetic Perverts and Also Andrew Sullivan’s Sarah Palin Toe Fetish. This was a blatant attempt to put Sarah in a headline that was very demeaning and I wrote Stacy to tell him about it.

So, what happened in the meantime? Well, Dan Riehl responded in a post on his blog titled Stacy McCain Declares, Palin Not Running. In the post, Dan says this:

He is correct as to my being as, if not more cynical than anyone. Hmm So, if that's true, how can I be urging her to run when, in his, evidently, unique genius, Stacy knows it's obviously already too late for her to do so? See, in essence, he is calling me a Palinista, that, or simply dumb. I suspect he didn't realize that when he wrote it. Which is it, Stacy, am I dumb, or obsessed, ... inquiring minds want to know? ; )

My friend Dan Riehl seems to think otherwise — his post “Why Sarah Palin Needs To Run For President In 2012”was also re-Tweeted by Iowa for Palin — andit would be hard to conceive that I (or anyone else) could be more cynical about politics than Dan Riehl. Yet if there is any urge I find irresistible, it is my urge to avoid being a chump, a True Believer living on irrational hopes and dreams.

Now, Stacy could have worked the logic the other way and done what reporters usually do, pick up the phone. "Dan, you're as cynical as anyone I know, how can you possibly believe she will run?" Alas, the poor young man didn't do that, now did he?

Oops, there's the phone now. Great, I can tell Stacy a thing, or two first hand. Be right back.

I'm back. Yes, Stacy did call ... in response to a Tweet of mine, I gather. The wrong question referred to below is the one I mentioned just above. If I'm so cynical, why do I think as I do regarding Palin and a possible run?

@jimmiebjr a gd post, y? Looks lk link bait. @rsmccain 's asking the wrong Qstion, gets the wrong answer, as Xpctd. ; ) is.gd/6FrzX5

Of some relatively small number of people in politics I genuinely admire, Donald Rumsfeld is one of them. I think I'll wrap this up with a little Rumsfeldian logic for now.

[T]here are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know.

I, too, have my unknown unknowns on this topic. So, as with any potential candidate, until Sarah Palin comes out publically and makes it clear one way, or the other, for all anyone can know, she may not run. I'd be surprised, but it is possible. However, based upon what I do know and what I know I don't know, the only conclusion I can reach is, she's running.

Good Grief! I knew that Sarah was driving the lamestream media crazy, but I never thought the right-wing blogosphere (of which I consider myself a member) would go crazy as well!

Cross-posted from Roderic Deane