Spittle-spangled eruptions of Biblical proportions - column by NYT's Frank Rich

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/opinion/18rich.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Fascinating column about Mel Gibson and so-called 'christian' right wing republicons.

"Six years ago he (Gibson) was not merely an A-list movie star with a penchant for drinking and boorish behavior but also a powerful and canonized figure in the political and cultural pantheon of American conservatism. That he has reached rock bottom tells us nothing new about Gibson. He was the same talented, nasty, bigoted blowhard then that he is today. But his fall says a lot about the changes in our country over the past six years. We shouldn’t take those changes for granted. We should take stock — and celebrate. They are good news..."

"...The death throes of Mel Gibson’s career feel less like another Hollywood scandal than the last gasps of an American era."