It’s open season on the Founders.

Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN), who is looking at a run for president as an Extreme Right-wing choice, has already revealed that she became a conservative in reaction against the “snotty” Aaron Burr.  Upon examination, it turned out that she really was reacting against Gore Vidal’s novel, Burr, and its iconoclastic view of the other Founding Fathers (a view that was rather faithful to Burr’s own view).  Rep. Bachmann’s inability to distinguish between fiction and non-fiction does not seem to be holding her back politically.

Last week, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich took the witness stand during his retrial on political corruption charges in Chicago, and announced that he had a “man crush” on Alexander Hamilton.

Ick.

At the very least, the episode tarnishes Hamilton’s general standing.  There is no good part of being the object of affection of Governor Helmet-head.  If he agrees with you politically, your political philosophy is immediately suspect.  Blagojevich, charitably put, is a goofball.  Yet if the former governor’s point was that he simply liked the cut of Hamilton’s jib, it’s even a bit worse.  Downright creepy. 

This is not an easy era in which to be a dead Founding Father.