Love the sin, hate the sinner or whatever

Forty five-odd years ago, a popular poster, sweatshirt etc. showed the Peanuts character Linus (blanket in tow), protesting loudly, "I love mankind -- it's people I can't stand."

That flashed back to me last week when I read Marco Rubio's justification for a fresh round of budget terrorism:

“I have tremendous respect for this institution,” Mr. Rubio said in an interview on Friday. “But I’m not all that interested in the way things have always been done around here.” 

"The way things have always been done" in this case means reconciling House and Senate budgets without tying those negotiations to a threat of national default.

The Times editorial board reminded me of that flashback this morning. Their take on Rubio's comment: it exemplifies the mindset of the latest crop of high profile Republicans, who "want to dismantle government, using whatever crowbar happens to be handy, and they don’t particularly care what traditions of mutual respect get smashed at the same time."

As Peanuts characters used to say from time to time: I'd be foolish to deny it.