Just shut up, Ralph.

Of all the pathetically ridiculous words from America's most pathetically ridiculous Presidential candidate, this line delivered by Ridiculous Ralph Nader in an article by David Broder takes the cake.

"There is a propensity for whining, carping and dirty tricks on the Democratic side that exceeds that of Republicans."

Whining? There's a propensity for whining by Ralph Nader that exceeds that of the most petulant two year old. His biggest complaints continue to be about the insistence of Democrats, and state governments, and the courts, that he actually comply with the law in his attempts to get ballot access. For instance...

When I asked Nader if he had any qualms about accepting this boost from the GOP, he said, "Ordinarily, I would reject such help," but not after what the Democrats had done to him in Arizona...

What the Democrats did to Nader in Arizona, of course, is to point out that his paid signature gatherers repeatedly violated Arizona election law, and that many of his petitions were thus invalid.

I'm not unsympathetic to the difficulty that third parties and independents face when they try to get on the ballots of various states, but somehow it happens every year. It happens because groups like the Libertarians, Constitution Party, Socialist Workers Party and many others work hard within the law to get their ballot lines. Should they have to work quite so hard? Maybe not. That's why many disparate groups also work hard together on ballot access reform, all year, every year.

Ralph Nader thinks he deserves a pass on working hard within the law, because, well, because he's Ralph Nader, I suppose.

Next time he can take an easier path by running for the Republican nomination, which is where his money comes from and his support seems to lie.

Meanwhile he should just shut up.