JUST WIN, BABY! That’s right, you heard it here first,¬†from the home office of what today we’re calling the “Macchiavelli Report.”

Screw the purists, the good government types, and¬†McCain’s challenge to Obama,¬†I don’t care if Barack swore to accept public financing on a stack of bibles. (That’s BIBLES, Billo, not Korans!)

So now¬†that McCain and the Republicans have drawn¬†the short straws in¬†public support, the tide of history and, most importantly, the almighty donor dollar, they’re clamoring for public financing to level the playing field?¬†(To be fair, McCain has been consistent on this point, but one wonders if his GOP masters¬†would still¬†tolerate that¬†stance if not for their fund-raising deficiencies.)

Never mind partisan politics,¬†for this nation,¬†there’s simply too much at stake. Endless wars, regressive and corporatist economic policies, an absolute right-wing majority on the Supreme Court, further erosion of civil liberties,¬†continued dependence¬†on fossil fuels, and the further deterioration of¬†Planet Earth.¬†Stop me if I’m getting too hysterical, but if¬†that’s the trade-off for public financing, fugheddaboutit.

Look, we’re not talkin’ about breaking any laws, or even immorality, but this is one time that the “ends” really do “justify the means.” After seven-plus years of Bush-Cheney criminality, public financing can take a back seat for now, at least until we clean up the whole goddamned¬†mess.

And we’ll need every red cent to combat the inevitable barrage of “Swift-boating,” which is “swiftly” becoming the real “Eleventh Amendment” of GOP politics.

So Common Cause, take a pause. Forgive this Democrat for quoting a Reagan (Nancy), but “Just Saying No” to public financing may just be necessary¬†for this country to kick¬†the deadly drug of “Republicanism.”¬†¬†