Post hoc ergo propter hoc, post hoc ergo...

The readership of this blog is very small. So when I say "X should happen" and then X happens, I have to resist the temptation to allow myself to think that I had anything to do with it.

But...

Yesterday I talked about what the Dems should do in response to the childish but deeply offensive name-calling from Little Offend Annie -- force big name Repugs to embrace or disavow her. Today there's this:

At Democrats.org a statement by former Vermont Governor Howard Dean calls on GOP presidential candidates to "denounce her hateful remarks."

Dean's statement read, "There is no place in political discourse for this kind of hate-filled and bigoted comments. While Democrats and Republicans may disagree on the issues, we should all be able to agree that this kind of vile rhetoric is out of bounds. The American people want a serious, thoughtful debate of the issues. Republicans -- including the Republican presidential candidates who shared the podium with Ann Coulter today -- should denounce her hateful remarks."

At Edwards' campaign website, a plea for "Coulter Cash" has been front-paged.

"Friday afternoon, Republican mouthpiece Ann Coulter brought hate-speech politics to a new low," the Edwards website states, alongside a video clip of Coulter's speech. "We must show that inflaming prejudice to attack progressive leaders will only backfire."

"Can you help us raise $100,000 in 'Coulter Cash' this week to keep this campaign charging ahead and fight back against the politics of bigotry?" Edwards' campaign websites asks.

In addition, a fund-raising email was sent out by the Edwards campaign which was attributed to the former North Carolina senator's campaign manager, David Bonior, who notes that former Republican Governor Mitt Romney "introduced her."

Think Progress reported that before Coulter's speech Romney (R-MA) said, "I am happy to hear that after you hear from me, you will hear from Ann Coulter. That is a good thing. Oh yeah!"

"John was singled out for a personal attack because the Republican establishment knows he poses the greatest threat to their power," the Edwards fund-raising email reads. "Since they have nothing real to use against him, Coulter's resorting to the classic right-wing strategy of riling up hate to smear a progressive champion. And the Republican attack dogs will keep playing this despicable trick as long as they think it works."

Via Think Progress, there's also this:

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese issues the following statement:

“We demand that every single Presidential candidate in attendance at this conference, along with Vice President Cheney stand up and publicly condemn this type of gutter-style politics,” continued Solmonese. “If not, then their silence will be deafening to the vast majority of Americans who believe this type of language belongs no where near the discussions about the future of our country.”

Hmmmm.

And earlier in the week I speculated that the channeling of American money to radical Sunnis revealed by Sy Hersh might be tied to the lost billions of cash shipped in palletloads to Iraq.

Last night Sy appeared on Bill Maher's show and suggested exactly the same thing.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc, post hoc ergo propter hoc....

Update: OK, not so post, actually. Here is Hersh on CNN on 2/25 voicing his suspicions. Ace reporter that he is, he left it out of the story because he couldn't nail it down.