Profiles in, um, courage

A scary number of folks on the right believe President Obama was not born in the U.S. (he was) and that he is a Muslim (he is not). On NBC's "Meet the Press" this morning, David Gregory pressed Republican House Speaker John Boehner on the matter.

GREGORY: "As the speaker of the House, as a leader, do you not think it's your responsibility to stand up to that kind of ignorance?"

BOEHNER: "David, it's not my job to tell the American people what to think. Our job in Washington is to listen to the American people. Having said that, the state of Hawaii has said that he was born there. That's good enough for me. The president says he's a Christian. I accept him at his word."

The Speaker's response gives new meaning to the idiom mealy-mouthed. What is it in Republican bottled water that turn otherwise adult politicians like Mr. Boehner into such gutless wonders? Read the full transcript here. It's even more pathetic than the above excerpt.