And do they ever. Well, some of them anyway.

Here is a pull quote from Telegraph.co.uk, which has a stunningly insightful article on why the Tea Party is getting things done, all denials by the Democrats and old guard Republicans notwithstanding:

The Tea Party has often been portrayed as a fringe group within the Republican party or a support network for Palin.

Dig deep and you will find that it is neither. There is, of course, a problem with the word “it”. Although the Tea Party is referred to as a single entity, it is really a loose conglomeration of some national organisation and a plethora of groups formed in local neighbourhoods all over America.

A desire for small government, lower taxes and fidelity to the United States Constitution binds members together. There is a prevailing mood of anger towards Washington and a sense of having been conned. Mention the $700 billion (£448 billion) bailout, health care reform or cap and trade legislation and they will go into conniptions.

But beyond that, the Tea Party is a vast, teeming muddle of opinion and impulses. Many of its strong supporters don’t attend public meetings. “The Tea Party is more an attitude than anything organised,” one Southern conservative told me.

Is this not what the Czar has been saying for the last 18 months? The entire article is like this. Clicky-clicky above to read the whole darn screed.

Hat tip to Publius, at Big Government.com.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.