The desperate have become maniacal. The US Republican Party is well beyond clutching at straws, it is about to disappear underneath the surface of the water for the third time and everyone from Dick Cheney to John Boehner to RNC Chair Michael Steele is desperately clinging to the highest masthead as party leader radio host Rush Limbaugh pushes all the buttons.

Former VP Dick Cheney visited FOX News’ Hannity where he defended his torture record, indeed after 8 years of keeping everything secret from the media called for a complete declassification of all memos which he says will clear his name and attacked the President for shaking hands with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. The former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich attacked the handshake as “dangerous” saying one would not be seen smiling with dangerous dictators.

Conveniently ignored in this multi-level attack was the double standard and long history of Republican leaders shown smiling whilst greeting the so-called enemy and even Nixon giving a Cadillac to Brezhnev, Reagan smiling with Gorbachev and selling arms to Iran(!?!) and Bush holding hands with the Saudi King and sharing the classic two cheek farewell kiss.

Missing from the hub-bub was an off-camera moment (recorded by a cell phone camera) of President Obama involved in a very serious and stern private discussion with Hugo Chavez. Instead the camera’s focussed on the handshakes and clear attempt by Chavez to orchestrate the moment to his advantage and get the photo to show at home.

FOX News repeatedly described the Venezuelan leader as a dictator. While we may not like him (nor he us), he was elected in a landslide and even the Bush Administration’s support of his opponent did not change the election result.

So with no leadership, nothing to cling to, the Republican are still searching for meaning in the wilderness. Rather than come up with a serious counter plan to shake the moniker of the Party of NO!, as Charley James wrote here earlier, John Boehner, Eric Kantor and company are debating climate change by worrying about cow farts.

This is your Republican Party leadership speaking.

By Denis Campbell