Don't fear the 'Delete' key . . . the 'Delete' key is your friend.

Some folks on the hardcore secular left really ought to read what they write. Then they need to use the "Delete" key to save themselves further embarrassment.

For instance, some myopic soul left the following comment on Beliefnet's Crunchy Cons web log concerning Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' Blog Nazis:

John Edwards has not "messed with people's religion". Two of his bloggers, before working for him, on their own personal blogs, said some rude things. (If they write stuff like that on Edwards' campaign blog, then by all means, hold it against him.) All of the people making the biggest stink about this were NEVER going to vote for Edwards, so to act like this is "useful information" is completely disingenuous. I say it improves his image, for not caving in to bullies like Donohue and Malkin.

BY THAT SAME LOGIC, or lack thereof, could I hire David Duke to run Revolution 21's Blog for the People and expect the Angry Left to utter nary a peep?

I mean, yeah, Herr Duke -- in his personal publications and in a previous job as head of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan -- has said some rude things. But as long as he keeps his personal views off of the R21 blog and doesn't use sick days to attend Holocaust-denier conferences in Tehran, everything would be perfectly kosher, right?

Er, make that "alles güt."

No???

But what about that distinction between personal activities and job-related activities?

Oh, I get it. If a Democratic presidential candidate hires foul-mouthed Libertine Left fascist harridans who blaspheme God and engage in the worst sort of Papist baiting, that's perfectly OK so long as they don't call the pope a f***wad on the actual campaign blog.

But if I, as a socially conservative theist, were to hire a convicted-felon, Jew-hating, racist Ku Klux Nazi who puts in appearances at Holocaust-denier confabs in Iran, I am supremely confident that not one Netroot neurotic would ever stoop so low as to call me a right-wing, Neo-Nazi hater who was just biding my time until I could poison the Harlem water supply and parade down Pennsylvania Avenue with Gloria Steinem's head on a pike.

Wouldn't happen. Nuh-uh, no way, no how.

You bet your sweet bippy it wouldn't.