I missed this caption contest at Matier & Ross last week.  But better late than never, here's a LOL for your Monday, using their picture.

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This week, the much-debated Arizona immigration law will come into effect, thereby raising the profile of immigration, generally, as a political issue again, just in time for the final 100 days of campaigning ahead of this year's midterms.

As in previous years, many Republicans have staked out a hard line on the issue. Backing for Arizona's law as a model for other states is widespread.

Unlike in previous elections where immigration also emerged as a hot-button issue, however, one rarely hears much from any Republicans beyond the "I support Arizona's law and we need to secure the border, and I do not support amnesty" trifecta (the new version of the old "I support health savings accounts" answer to each and every question about health care)....

Paul Krugman's column is up today, and I have some problems with it. I know, you're surprised.

I'm not a hater of the mainstream media (I go on MSNBC and CNN from time to time, I read at least portions of the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal daily, I read stuff from ABC and Politico in particular usually throughout the day, in addition to publications like the LA Times, which I read for work purposes).

But it annoys me when Nobel prize winners who write for major publications get really basic stuff wrong, especially when it pertains to their area of expertise.

So here are a few basic critiques of what Krugman writes today:

For a couple of years, it was the love that dared not speak his name. In 2008, Republican candidates hardly ever mentioned the president still sitting in the White House. After the election, the G.O.P. did its best to shout down all talk about how we got into the mess we're in, insisting that we needed to look forward, not back. And many in the news media played along, acting as if it was somehow uncouth for Democrats even to mention the Bush era and its legacy.

The truth, however, is that the only problem Republicans ever had with George W. Bush was his low approval rating. They always loved his policies and his governing style - and they want them back....