As I look around the blogosphere, and view memeorandum, it occurred to me that we may have hit and passed Peak Wingnut. Don’t get me wrong, this election is still not over and by no means in the bag, but as I read things, the hey day of modern wingnuttia may have passed.

Sure, there is still lots going on- the Obama smears have been fast and furious, and there are lots of current attempts to mainstream nonsense (a solid example would be Jonah’s market analysis), but it all seems so yesterday. These days, there seem to be more than enough outlets to rebut the bullshit, the media is tired of being treated like morons, and the Democrats seem for once ready and itching for a fight. But most of all, the attempts just seem so feeble. In the past few days we have seen Red State put a front page post up about Obama’s birth certificate and NRO’s Andy McCarthy tried to convince us that William Ayers ghost wrote Obama’s books, but for the most part, they gained no traction and were laughed off by everyone.

I was one of the early ones to snap out of things and come to my senses and Andrew Sullivan has all but tattooed Obamanation on his chest, but even more telling, folks like David Frum, Kathleen Parker, Chris Buckley, and Chris Hitchens have all jumped ship. Now granted, there are still some diehards- just today Mark Steyn and K-Lo were chastising David “Axis of Evil” Frum for insufficient fealty to the cause, but it really does feel like we have reached and surpassed Peak Wingnut. Nothing like two wars, an economic meltdown, and Sarah Palin to bring clarity to the debate. All that seems left are the really embattled dead-enders, and we know from WWII that some soldiers can go on fighting the same old battles forever.

The question now for historians and bloggers alike is to approximate the closest estimate of the date at which it peaked. So, the questions for you all:

Have we surpassed Peak Wingnut?

When did it happen?

What event most clearly demonstrates we have passed Peak Wingnut?

Or is this premise completely flawed, and wingnut is a renewable resource and will experience a dramatic surge on the first day of an Obama Presidency?

Discuss.

*** Update ***

Never mind, via the comments, I see I spoke too soon. Eager to spread a National Enquirer rumor that Obama had gay, anal, black on black pedophile sex as a ten year old (btw- the correct term is not “affair” but “molested”), Erick at Red State writes the following in yet another one of those special front page posts we have grown to love:

The National Enquirer now suggests Barack Obama had an underage, gay affair with a pedophile. Yup. That Frank Marshall Davis guy Barry says was his good friend? Turns out he was a perv of the first order and liked young boys. This post is not intended to spread that rumor. Frankly, if Obama wins, we’ll have our hands full around here making sure folks don’t develop Obama Derangement Syndrome.

Not designed to spread the rumor? And develop Obama Derangement Syndrome? You don’t have it now?

Ignore all my questions from above- wingnut is a renewable resource. Peak Wingnut was the shortest lived “theory” ever. I eagerly await learning how this was all a joke (hahaha). And for the record, I really don’t remember a lot of liberals running around embracing the Palin/National Enquirer story. In fact, what I remember is certain folks, in the aftermath of the Edwards/Enquirer nonsense suddenly amazed that regarding Palin, the Enquirer was now no longer reliable. I avoided all of the Palin absurdities with regards to the Enquirer.

Ugh.