It’s surprising that this column by the Washington Post’s David Broder on Thursday fell so far below the fold. After all, Broder had unkind things to say about virtually everybody that would have pleased and enraged both Democrats and Republicans alike. For instance, Broder didn’t have nice things to say about President Bush:

The country thought Bush was a pleasant, down-to-earth guy who would not rock the boat. Instead, swayed by some inner impulse or the influence of Dick Cheney, he has proved to be lawless and reckless. He started a war he cannot finish, drove the government into debt and repeatedly defied the Constitution.

Don’t mince words, David. Tell us what you really think. Fortunately, Broder’s attack wasn’t just on Bush:

They are mobilizing to resist not only Bush but also the extremist elements in American society -- the vituperative, foul-mouthed bloggers on the left and the doctrinaire religious extremists on the right who would convert their faith into a whipping post for their opponents.

“Vituperative, foul-mouthed bloggers on the left?” Nice term, David. Can I use it in the future?

Yet, Broder wasn’t done chiding the extreme left, or the vituperative, foul-mouthed bloggers that support them. Strap yourselves in tightly, folks, for the darlings of the netroots were in the crosshairs:

The center is beginning to fight back. Michael Bloomberg, the Republican mayor of New York, is holding a fundraiser for Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Democrat running as an independent against the bloggers' favorite, Ned Lamont.

His election is important, as is Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee's in Rhode Island, because both would signal that independence is a virtue to be rewarded.

Yikes. Broder is actually supporting Lieberman and Chafee. Somebody pinch me. But, he wasn’t done: “Similarly important, though less publicized, is Republican Sen. Mike DeWine's race in Ohio. DeWine is an ally of McCain & Co. in forming a center for the Senate; his opponent, Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown, is a loud advocate of protectionist policies that offer a false hope of solving our trade and job problems.”

Wow. I’m verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves.

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.