Phantasmagoric biotheology

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As always, Rachel Maddow hits the nail on the head. This time, she shows us that even relatively sane Republicans aren't all that great.

Here in Nebraska, I used to respect Chuck Hagel, but I never voted for him, just for reasons like this. He wasn't completely crazy, and in a Republican these days, that's saying a lot. But he's still a Republican.

There's a reason why he hasn't left a party that's become batshit crazy. It's kind of funny, because he's too sane for his fellow Republicans. That's why he didn't run for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2008. He'd have seen a primary fight if he had.

But he still has views - or had views, certainly - that aren't suited to a civilized country in the 21st Century. Admittedly, when it comes to gay rights, attitudes have been changing rapidly, and he may no longer hold those views. Or he might just be more cautious about expressing them.

And his views on abortion probably haven't changed a bit. Well, I don't know that, but it's the sort of issue where opinions tend to be stark, and resist even compromise, let alone change.

This is important. We have women in the military now, and we have gay people serving openly. It's the 21st Century and we need a 21st Century Secretary of Defense.