"Like Kafka's 'Metamorphosis' in reverse, the giant, hideous beetle that was the GOP has suddenly been reborn as a vigorous youth...."

Gary Kamiya riffs on Sarah Palin, calling her a "dominatrix" and saying things like:

For the die-hard Republicans who lusted over Palin at the convention, her whip-wielding persona was a turn-on. You could practically feel the crowd getting a collective woody as Palin bent Obama and the Democrats over, shoved a leather gag in their mouths and flogged them as un-American wimps, appeasers and losers. "Drill, baby, drill!" the chant ecstatically repeated by the GOP faithful during Rudy Giuliani's speech, acquired a distinctly Freudian subtext after Palin spoke. The more Palin drilled the Democrats, the more hotly the base yearned to drill her. (We will leave it to shrinks to determine whether the GOP hardcore has the hots for Palin because she's reaming the Democrats, or because authority-worshippers tend to have secret fantasies of being reamed themselves.)

Yes, yes, everybody wants to be Camille Paglia.

But I just wanted to post that so I could use that one line about the beetle in my title and link to this Japanese Bug Fight that someone pointed out in yesterday's insect post. Remember the beetle is the GOP. The Democratic Party is the scorpion.

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Speaking of sex-and-insects, did you see they made an opera out of the movie "The Fly" -- the great David Cronenberg version -- which you know I love.

"Have you ever heard of insect politics? Neither have I! Insects don't have politics.... they're very brutal. No compassion.... no compromise. We can't trust the insect. I'd like to become the first insect politician. I'd like to, but.... I'm an insect.... who dreamed he was a man, and loved it. But now the dream is over, and the insect is awake."