He was referring to the "usually soft-spoken" senior Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, who had told a Birmingham reporter that there are 17 "socialists" in Congress.

Bachus's assertion prompted what Thrush characterized as "cries of McCarthyism in the lefty blogosphere" -- especially when he named only one lawmaker: Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, who happily calls himself a "democratic socialist."

"Has Spencer released his list yet?" Sanders joked. "Everybody's waiting with bated breath. . . .I think at the very least he has to tell...]]> Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:00:00 -0800