Of course Lugar will have a primary challenger, and it will be the most ignorant damnfool teabagger the Republican party can find. And if the fool wins the primary, he'll ride Palin's coattails to defeat in the general.

And, this is exactly why the Lame Duck session should be passing the Disclose Act - already passed by the House - but failed previously in the Senate because of not even getting a vote since only 59 senators would let it go past filibuster.

Harry Reid does not even have the Disclose Act on the agenda for the next three weeks, but there are several Republicans who are already on the target list for 2012: Scott Brown and Olympia Snowe should be willing to join Richard Lugar since they will all want their constituents to know who is funding the attack ads against them and supporting the "most ignorant damnfool teabagger the Republican party can find."

"Lugar may very well face a primary challenger when he seeks re-election in 2012, a prospect some respected party leaders find chilling."

Assuming there are still a few Indiana voters who can read, Lugar needs to use his franking privilege, and send them a letter, detailing his position(s).
If they can tear themselves away from Fox TeeVee, from Beck/Limbaugh/Palin long enough to open the envelope, reason may still prevail on the banks of the Wabash.

If Lugar were to win his primary, it would be only because he sold himself as a teabagger in the McCain fashion. Running as a mature, thoughtful, engaged, and genuinely patriotic American would not do the trick. American conservatives want cheap answers, clowns, bright shiny objects, and lots of certitude.

In light of yesterday's post regarding the Tabbi - Gergen tete a tete, does anyone need any more proof that the TBaggers have some sort of "set of priniciples" - ie, right of right isolationists; that they are at least half crazy; and need to be taken very seriously.

Danforth is a bit late to the party. The republicans passed the point of no return long ago.

Now Melhman...err...Graham is out here this morning saying the repeal of DADT is dead.

It is a party run by radio and TV talk show hosts.

Y'all are being far too kind. This deranged GOP shift MUST be joined at the hip with the utter implosion of the MSM with regard to a total vacuum of any semblance of journalism. Ensure the bastards are called out on their role in refusing to call stupid for what it is.

Well Lugar will turn 80 before the 2012 election, so he may just decide to retire rather than face a tough primary. Lugar won his first re-election in '82 with 54%, but since then hasn't gotten less than 66%, and given that until now Indiana has had a reputation as a good state for the party organizations I doubt he's ever had a difficult primary challenger. I (obviously) don't know the man, so I have no idea whether he's one of those politicians who wants to die in office or go down in flames trying, but it wouldn't be the first time a senior member, faced with his or her first tough re-election in a long time, discovers the desire to spend more time with the grandchildren.

I see nothing wrong with primary challenges to party-establishment legislators by those with more extreme views - would you want to rule out challenges to blue dogs by more liberal Democrats? Danforth - and Benen - are wrong to make a primary challenge the litmus test of insanity. The truly pernicious trend in Republican politics as opposed to Democratic politics is the demand that all real principles and the good of the nation be sacrificed for partisan ends.

And which is more threatening in the long run, the ability of some quasi-populists to have a voice in the Republican party, or the continuing takeover of all politics by big-money interests? Some Tea Partiers and many who express approval of some of the objectives of the movement are actually opposed to big-money interests.

"...we have gone so far overboard that we are beyond redemption."

This from the man who brought us Clarence Thomas.

@skeptonomist: Danforth was discussing that it would be a bad idea for anyone in the GOP to challenge Dick Lugar on foreign policy. Benen is also not saying that having a primary challenger is necessarily a litmus test to insanity. What Benen is saying is the reasons behind these primary challenges are what is insane. The Tea Party has made the sensible and rational the enemy of the good, and that involves absolutely NO compromise whatsoever with the opposition. Lugar, a pretty conservative lawmaker, having a primary challenger because of his position on START is what is beyond redemption. The Tea Party has made it where one cannot change positions in light of new facts or evidence, and has also made it impossible to agree on anything the opposition might find palatable. I almost wish that Obama would start taking positions that are opposite to his real goals just so he could get the Tea Party to support the real goal instead.

For far too long the Republican party has allowed authoritarian figures to run amok in its big tent - working the old LBJ adage about tent pissing!

Well Danforth et al. the Birchers have come home to roost, and like pigeons, they are known to foul the nest! -Kevo

D beat me to it. I take all of this "mavrickiness" in the face of Tea Party domination of the Republican primaries as a sign Lugar is in his last term, doing what he wants without regard to reelection.

Isn't it time for Lugar, Danforth, Scowcroft, Bush 1 etc. to man up and say what they know to be true. Their party no longer exists.

I'm wondering why it's wrong for the GOP to throw out Senators who aren't conservative enough to please conservatives, but okay for Dems to throw out Senators [like Lincoln] who aren't liberal enough for liberals.

@JEA

And I wonder why it's fine for the state to execute a criminal, but it's not ok for me to shoot your grandma.

Ben:

As Skepto and JEA point out, it should be perfectly obvious that a Teabagger challenge to Lugar would be exactly the same thing as the Dems putting up a primary challenger to Joe Lieberman.

In lieberman's case he backed the invasion of Iraq and openly campaigned against the Democratic nominee for president.

Whereas, Lugar is supporting a nuclear arms reduction treaty that has been the standard foreign policy for the U.S. for decades.

See, it's the same . . . oh wait, nevermind.

Specifically, a tea party challenge to Lugar over START and DADT would be like Dems putting up a primary challenge to Ted Kennedy in 2002 because he worked with Republicans to pass the Medicare drug benefit.