Just what we need: another Republican candidate who foams at the mouth

Remember my post from earlier in the week, where I said that Texas Gov. Rick Perry might be electable?

Well, forget it.

Yesterday the newest entry in the GOP presidential race said that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's monetary policy is "almost treasonous," and claimed that if the Fed "printed more money" between now and the election it would be "playing politics."

Really, Governor? Aside from the over-the-top nature of charging the Fed chairman- an honorable man and a patriotic American, whether you agree with him or not, and someone with whom you're going to have to work if you are elected to the White House- do you really believe that anybody who tries to get the economy moving between now and the election is "playing politics" and trying to help President Obama? That kind of thing might play in Texas. But in the rest of the country, it just gets you labeled as a fanatic.

The irresponsibilty of Perry's comments is compounded by his refusal to withdraw or modify them even after the uproar they caused. At least Michele Bachmann had the grace to back off from her notorious comments on MSNBC's Hardball, with Chris Matthews about the patriotism of Barack Obama and unspecificed Democrats in Congress. And in fairness to Bachmann, even though her statement was over the top, at least Mr. Obama's past association with people like Ayers and Wright was legitimate ground for the raising of eyebrows. Bernanke's monetary policy is not- unless you're sufficiently hard-core to be beyond rational discourse on the subject.

Neither Bachmann nor Perry are electable- nor should they be. The last thing America needs is more division and more wild-eyed indictments of people on the other side of the political fence, whichever side that might be.  If Republicans want to win- or even to nominate somebody with their head on straight- it's looking more and more like it's going to have to be one of the Mormons- either Romney or Huntsman.

And for anybody who believes in the Two Kingdoms, that shouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, I have a hunch that many of my fellow confessional Lutherans aren't quite confessional enough when the rubber meets the road to support somebody for office in the Kingdom of the Left Hand whose errors lie in the Kingdom of the Right.