Over and over, during the 2008 election cycle, I saw Barack Obama win the long game and I learned to trust him to pretty much always come out on top. This video shows the Barack Obama I knew could get the job done.

Bring it, you paranoid, racist, uneducated mo-fos who don’t have health insurance and aren’t bright enough to recognize when you’re being helped. We’re ready for your dim-witted asses.

Wiggum and Greer: the resemblance is more than skin deep.

We noticed the resemblance between The Simpsons’ Mr. Burns and former Vice President Dick Cheney a long time ago. But it wasn’t until Jim Greer, the chair of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), started the interview circuit that we figured out where we’d seen him before. The porcine Mr. Greer used a ridiculous — and now largely disavowed by other Republicans — claim that the president is trying to indoctrinate school children into a socialist regime by urging them to study and stay in school as a way of deflecting criticism of his use of donor money here in Florida.

In using the “I know I am but what about you” defense, Greer reminded us of Springfield’s chief of police, Clancy Wiggum, who never seems to be responsible for any of the town’s egregious law enforcement debacles. Wiggum once broadcast this warning, which was about as helpful as most of the things Jim Greer says: “This is Papa Bear. Put out an APB for a male suspect, driving a…car of some sort, heading in the direction of, uh, you know, that place that sells chili. Suspect is hatless. Repeat, hatless.”

Other gems from Wiggum:

• Oh, sure. We’d all love some real friends, Marge. But what are the odds of that happening?
• I hope this has taught you kids a lesson: kids never learn.
• Can’t you people take the law into your own hands? I mean, we can’t be policing the entire city!

Greer’s tortured missives are as logically challenged as Wiggum’s. This is the actual first tenet of “GOP Principles” on the RPOF’s web site:

I Believe… The proper function of government is to do for the people those things that have to be done but cannot be done, or cannot be done as well, by individuals, and that the most effective government is government closest to the people.

The Wiggumisms continue in the same document:

I Believe… In equal right, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, age, sex or national origin.

After all, who needs more than one right anyway? I mean you can only use one at a time. But the best Republican/Wiggumian belief, in 2009, has to be this one:

I Believe… The free enterprise and the encouragement of individual initiative and incentive have given this nation an economic system second to none.

Case closed.

Mel Martinez has shown more life in the past few days than he has in his five years as Florida’s junior senator. First he voted with eight fellow Republicans to confirm Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. Then, like a certain first-term Alaska governor, he resigned. The first Cuban-American elected senator is now the first Cuban-American to leave before his term is over.

Martinez’s desertion seems to come as a surprise to the governor of his state. Gov. Charlie Crist is running for the seat Martinez was recently keeping warm. Crist will have to appoint a replacement, and even though his pandering and selling out to win the 2010 election lately seem to know no bounds, apparently even he has moral limits. Who knew? Charlie swears he’s not going to choose himself to fill the Palin-esque vacancy. So who will he pick?

Crist has to be careful, first and foremost, that he selects someone who will absolutely, positively not get up to Washington and decide to stay. He must be sure they would never, ever decide to run because then he’d be campaigning against an incumbent. On the other hand, they can’t hate politics so much that they won’t participate. And — oh yeah — they need to have 16 months to waste.

The order might not be that tall. In the 24 hours or so since Martinez revealed he was outta here, several names were already being bandied. One is former state attorney general Jim Smith. Smith ran unsuccessfully for governor as a Democrat in 1986, but took his loss as a signal to change parties. Now is he is a lobbyist with one of Tallahassee’s top-billing firms, Smith & Ballard, which just happens to represent the health care industry. What could be better, from a Republican point of view, than having a health care lobbyist casting votes in the Senate while Obama is pushing for reform?

There are other names in contention, but they’re mostly people who would likely want to hold the office on a continuing basis, so I would not expect Charlie to pick one of them. In other words, don’t get your hopes up, Jeb Bush.

About a third of Americans think the best job for Palin is homemaker (32 percent), while nearly one in five see her as a television talk show host (17 percent). Vice president of the United States comes in third (14 percent), followed closely by college professor (10 percent), with president coming last (6 percent).

Even Republicans don’t see a “Pres. Palin” as optimal.

Republicans think the best job for Palin is vice president (27 percent), followed by homemaker (18 percent), talk show host (14 percent), president (12 percent) and professor (7 percent).

The better we know Palin, it seems, the less we like her.

More Americans have a negative view of Palin than have a positive one. While 38 percent say they have a favorable opinion of her, 51 percent have an unfavorable view…

The last time views of Palin were tested voters were evenly divided: 45 percent viewed her favorably and unfavorably (31 March-1 April 2009). When Palin was first introduced to the country as Arizona Sen. John McCain’s running mate in September 2008, 54 percent had a positive opinion of her — double the 27 percent who said they had a negative opinion.

The poll also shows Republicans are still in search of a front-runner for the 2012 presidential election. A cult member is their top pick, and it just goes downhill from there.

Among Republicans, Palin is their third choice when read a list of potential candidates for the 2012 nomination. Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney takes the top spot (22 percent), though he bests former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee by just one point (21 percent). Palin receives the backing of 17 percent and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giluiani comes in at 13 percent. The remaining candidates receive single-digit support.

They’re saying that Pres. Obama could do for beer what he did for Portuguese water dogs. Breathless reporters are already lining up to reveal what beer is served when Obama sits down with Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley and asks, “Can’t we all just get along?”

Does the president choose a lager for Thursday’s gathering? A porter? Maybe a wheat beer? Does he pick something light to help the men with the Washington, D.C., summer heat?

Whatever the president picks, it is likely to be closely watched and could even help propel a lesser-known beer into the mainstream.

The four-page story goes on to quote Donna Brazile predicting Sam Adams, Robert Gibbs noting Obama drank Bud at the All-Star game, and Crowley favoring Blue Moon Pale Ale — although honestly, I can’t see Obama drinking anything with an orange slice floating in it.

What beer do Pensito Review readers think should be served at this historic occasion? Leave your order in the comments, along with a generous tip for your server.

My, what a difference a year — and actually being in the position instead of just talking out of your ass — makes.

• Remember all those GOP pundits & commentators who praised Palin as a great pick? Roll that video. Please. #palin
• Palin spokesgal: It’s a “fighting move” and “liberating.” Yes, she’s quitting her way to the top. http://bit.ly/46ENU #palin
• Are Palin true-believers crying, “Say it ain’t so”? No, they say quitting is more proof she’s a great leader. See http://bit.ly/n6Qyf #palin
• Still not a tweet from @senjohnmccain about Palin’s cut-and-run. But 7 mins ago he did twitter about Burma. #palin #mccain #icantseeyou
• She sure gave them a cliff @PeartreeHillBex Team Sarah types like 2 call Obama supporters “Obamabots.” I’d call those folks “Sarahlemmings.”
• Why Sarah Palin is no Richard Nixon. And that’s not meant as a compliment. http://bit.ly/fGfWQ #palin

I knew Stewart would have a field day with the Sanford tragedy but this exceeds expectations.

— former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), finally doing the right thing and conceding the 2008 Senate race.

— Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) in an email to “Maria,” his Argentine lover.