Thad Wasson for Congress: Patriarchy and Black Helicopters

Dakota War College fulfills the 3.5% breaking-news-from-blogs quota for the day, announcing the candidacy of Piedmont's Thad Wasson for the GOP nomination for South Dakota's lone House seat.

Hot diggity: a real right-wing nut to give Chris Nelson supporters (and the rest of us) someone to laugh at. What sets off my alarm bells on this seemingly mild-mannered Qwest network tech, family man, and ex-Marine?

• The good news: he's Lutheran! The bad news: he's Wisconsin Synod.
• Of all the issues he could raise as a candidate for high office in South Dakota, he chooses to go off on the threat of the New World Order: "For the past 60 years this nation has slowly given away her sovereignty, from joining the United Nations to NATO to trade alliances from NAFTA to the WTO." Cue the black helicopters.
• In a 2007 Mount Blogmore post on SCHIP, Wasson comments, "All of this talk about uninsured children makes it seem as if they appeared out of nowhere. Most have two parents and it is the Fathers responsibility to provide care for his children." The red meat blogger in me says, "Yes! Please! Run more rank fundagelical patriarchy against Stephanie!" The good neighbor in me says, "Please, spare us."

If Wasson wants a chance, he'd better drop the bushwah about sinister "global initiatives and one world solutions and a common good" and develop some practical, bread-and-butter South Dakota talking points. And before he starts making big speeches, he might want to practice answering questions about sexual equality and public policy.

But I will say this: a contest between equally polite and mild-mannered Chris Nelson and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin could be the most boring campaign ever. Wasson might at least deliver some Bruce-Whalen-worthy bloopers to keep the blogs busy.