Senator, Does George W. Bush Put Country First?

During the John McCain-Sarah Palin rally in Northern Virginia this morning, the Republican presidential nominee repeated one of his favorite new lines, giving "advance warning to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first, country-second Washington crowd... Change is coming!"

OK, but when will he put some names to this rhetoric? Obviously, they think Barack Obama is that kind of 'me-first' un-patriot, but what about the rest of that "country-second Washington crowd?" You know, the one that Republicans have been in charge of for the better part of this century?

For example, when will the press ask McCain or Palin whether President George W. Bush puts his country first? Or Dick Cheney?

Or indicted Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska? Or scandal-plagued former congressman and now Gov. Jim Gibbons of Nevada? What about House GOP Deputy Whip Bill Shuster, who partied down on the first night of the convention while McCain canceled activities and encouraged RNC delegates to cool it as Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast? Country first?

Or how about Ralph Reed? He worked with Indian tribe-swindler Jack Abramoff -- to which McCain directly referred to in his GOP acceptance speech -- so he could "start humping in corporate accounts." The same guy who was raising money for McCain less than a month ago. Does he put himself or his country first?

Sure, the McCain camp could complain about the unfair nature of those questions, but why shouldn't they be made to account for their words? Either he starts spelling out those who are insufficiently supportive of their country or he's railing against phantoms. Let's see some names, Senator.