He's an Also-Ran. - One of my guilty pleasures on television is "American Idol." My least favorite part of the competition, though, are the audition rounds, where we're subjected to the off-key warblings of deluded dreamers who truly believe they've got "it." Every four years, American politics undergoes a similar process - politicians from both parties announce, with great fanfare, their candidacy for the office of president.

While I believe that anyone should be free to run for president, people should also be mature enough to acknowledge their limitations. Most of the 'also-rans' who announce are well aware that they will not be elected president, so the act of running is the ultimate exercise in ego-driven futility. Also-rans bug me because they get in the way of an honest debate between the five or six people who actually have a shot at the office. Think of the last presidential election and the first few debates between the candidates - it was a jumbled mess, not a debate. I know how elitist this sounds, but also-rans are background noise. Tom Tancredo stands about as much chance of being elected president as William Hung did of being named an American Idol.

I know some will disagree, saying Tancredo has a shot, but let's face it - when you're attending $15 a plate fundraisers with Confederate sympathizers, it's over before it started. I don't like also-rans, Tancredo is an also-ran. Reason one.

Black Helicopter Nonsense - Tancredo believes in the NAU conspiracy theory, and is the only announced "presidential candidate" to do so. For those who don't know what the NAU is, consider yourselves lucky. But if you really, really want to know, this piece by Jerome Corsi is a good primer. The Canadian government doesn't seem to have gotten the memo that our borders are gone, though. I don't like conspiracy theories or those who spread them. Tancredo does. Reason two.

A whiff of nativism - I don't believe Tom Tancredo is a nativist, but he does attract those who are. His basic ideas on enforcing current immigration laws are sound and I agree with him that we should build a wall and secure our borders. Where we part ways is when he goes a bit overboard and makes pro-enforcement Republicans look like idiots.

As demonized as Newt Gingrich was and is by the press, his thoughts on immigration reform are the perfect combination of principle and effective compromise. Since American public policy is made by finding a path that offends the least amount of people, compromise is an unfortunate necessity. Sometimes, such as in the case of the ban on partial-birth abortion, this was done by acknowledging that Roe v. Wade is the law of the land. On immigration, compromise will come in how we treat those already in the United States. For the record, here's where I stand on immigration reform.

I know that uncompromising people are regarded as heroes in media and popular culture, but people who refuse to give any ground at all in politics and demand 100% of what they want always end up disappointed. I will admit that in recent weeks, Tancredo has shown a willingness to compromise on a guest worker program, which is admirable. Now if he could just stop putting his foot in his mouth, he would be better off.

Cult of Personality - Rickinstl is the absolute nicest Tancredo supporter I've come across on the intertubes. In other discussion boards and blogs, Tancredo has created a cult of personality and his supporters can get exceedingly nasty and defensive. Seriously. The blogwar over Tancredo's "nuke Mecca" comments was the first time I'd heard of the Colorado Congressman, and that initial blast from one of his supporters left a bad taste in my mouth.

Debating immigration reform with those who support him at other websites has done nothing to remove that taste. Tancredo is a savvy guy - he's got to be aware of just who his followers are. Instead of speaking out against the extremists on his team, he just continues in his own red meat rhetoric. It may not be entirely fair to judge the congressman based on the behavior of his supporters, but since we're talking about an emotional reaction to a political figure here, fairness has little to do with visceral response.

To conclude, there are some areas where I agree with the Tanc, in addition to enforcement. I think race-based congressional caucuses are wrong and supported him when Ellison called the cops on him. I think assimilation is an important facet of immigration. I think Tancredo has a decent message - he's just not the right messenger.

I'm reminded of a quote from the movie "The Paper." Randy Quaid's columnist character is confronted by a city official he's been picking on in his column. The guy wants to know why Quaid is picking on him.

Quaid's answer? "You work for the city. It was your turn."

Right now, it's Tancredo's turn. Eventually, I will get tired of it and pick on someone else.