Oh, for the love of Mary, not this clown again.

The trim man with silver hair who drew in close to Cruz in a prayer huddle also had considerable star power: the evangelical historian David Barton. An informal adviser to several prominent Republican politicians, including Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann, Barton argues that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and must return to those roots. His ideas have shaped the social studies curriculum in his home state of Texas. Now, he's gunning for even bigger influence, advising state legislators across the country on how to fight the Common Core academic standards that the Obama administration is promoting. And that's not all; Barton hints he'll soon be back in the arena of presidential politics, advising candidates looking to appeal to the religious right.

If anything illustrates the basic problem with the way the journalism business is done at Tiger Beat On The Potomac, it's this story, which demonstrates conclusively that Barton is a gigantic public charlatan and then, because his work is popular among other gigantic public charlatans and the hayshakers that vote for thme, essentially argue that Barton's gigantic public charlatanism doesn't matter any more. To wit:

Barton's abrupt, and short-lived, fall from grace began with the publication in April 2012 of his book "The Jefferson Lies," which portrays Thomas Jefferson as an orthodox Christian who saw no need to separate church and state. Secular critics had long denounced Barton as a fraud who manipulates and misrepresents history to serve political goals. With the publication of "The Jefferson Lies," several dozen academics at Christian colleges stepped forward to join the chorus. Led by Warren Throckmorton, a professor of psychology at Grove City College, the Christian scholars tore apart the new book, pointing out a bevy of errors and distortion. Several pastors picked up the thread, organizing a boycott of Barton's publisher, the Christian publishing house Thomas Nelson. The critiques gained so much steam that Barton's book was voted "the least credible history book in print" in an online poll by the History News Network. Barton rejected the barrage of criticism as mean-spirited, politically motivated and just plain wrong. But in August, his publisher withdrew "The Jefferson Lies." A senior executive explained to NPR that Thomas Nelson couldn't stand by the book because "basic truths just were not there." It was a stunning repudiation of Barton's credibility. But to his critics' astonishment, Barton has bounced back. He has retained his popular following and his political appeal - in large part, analysts say, because he brings an air of sober-minded scholarship to the culture wars, framing the modern-day agenda of the religious right as a return to the Founding Fathers' vision for America.

(And this isn't the first time Barton's been caught, either. Scholars of Mr. Madison's work would not be averse to having Barton's head on a plate, either.)

Gaze in awe. I mean it, gaze in fking awe at what we've come to. How does anyone write this passage with a straight face and not walk immediately down to the Tune Inn and drink their way down the line of vodkas? The guy is exposed as a fake. The guy is exposed as a fake by people at Christian universities. But he "bounces back" because opportunistic yahoos and their dimwit followers still buy enough of his snake-oil to get him noticed. To wit, also, too:

In March, Barton gave his presentation on America's biblical heritage to dozens of state legislators in Kansas. In May, he spoke at the official National Day of Prayer breakfast at the Fort Leonard Wood Army base in Missouri. He rallied activists at the National Right to Life Convention in June with a rousing speech drawing on the Declaration of Independence to make the case for abortion restrictions. Cruz followed Barton in the program and echoed his analysis to thunderous applause."I'm not in a position to opine on academic disputes between historians, but I can tell you that David Barton is a good man, a courageous leader and a friend," Cruz told POLITICO. "David's historical research has helped millions rediscover the founding principles of our nation and the incredible sacrifices that men and women of faith made to bequeath to us the freest and most prosperous nation in the world."

(We'll leave aside the question of why a U.S. Army base is hosting a Bible-bangers hootenanny for another day.)

If you believe what David Barton says about the founding of this country, than you are either a mark or a fool, but probably both. If you are a politician -- like Tailgunner Ted Cruz -- who promulgates what David Barton says about the founding of the country, you are complicit in a gigantic public fraud. This should disqualify you from being a national figure of any import. Imagine if, say, Elizabeth Warren announced that she is convinced of the origins of the human race as expressed by the work of...The Most Awesome Man On Television! I don't think her name would appear far from the word "flake" in any sentence written about her for the rest of her career. Yet, TMAMOTV has as much evidence on the side of his conclusions as Barton ever has had on his. It really is OK, in a piece like this, to point out that a successful con job is still a con job. It really is OK to point out that, if Barton's being taken seriously in the battles over what is taught in the public schools, that this is really a very bad thing. But that would be contrary to Village politesse. Or, as somebody once wrote in a book a few years back:

The Gut becomes the basis for the Three Great Premises of Idiot America: Any theory is valid if it sells books, soaks up ratings, or otherwise moves units; anything can be true if someone says it loudly enough; fact is that which enough people believe. Truth is determined by how fervently they believe it.

If I were king of the forest, I'd write this in the potato salad in the lunchroom of Tiger Beat On The Potomac every damn day. Bartender, a double Prestone, and see what the pundits in the back room will have.

Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io