One of Charles Johnson's readers catches Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) on audio tape during a public speech on the advertised topic of Social Security reform making a wild accusation straight out of Oliver Stone/Michael Moore-land. But then this has been a trend since 9/11 as the left has become increasingly conspiracy-obsessed as they seek to emerge from the political wilderness.

Update: Jim Geraghty writes:

In the course of research for a book proposal, I've been looking at the reaction of the far left of the Democratic party to 9/11. You probably remember a lot of it--Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky, etc. The "well, we had it coming" voices were not that numerous in the fall of 2001... but what was interesting was how few mainstream or centrist Democrats were willing to denounce their ideological brethren.

Perhaps the most extraordinary change in American politics over the last few years is how comments that once would have seemed ridiculous, or silly, or way out there have now become fairly common sentiments in what was once mainstream circles.

Another Update: Gee, what a surprise--Hinchey's rant got zero coverage today in his district's newspapers. On the other hand, Charles Johnson will be on MSNBC tonight to discuss it with their viewers.