A clever bit of buzz-leveraging from Tennessee independent Donn James, who bolted the GOP last month and whose campaign website now features all nine principles espoused by Glenn Beck’s 9-12 Project. One question: How did the fair tax, of all things, make it into this showcase of abstract virtues and good-government tropes? Okay, two questions: Wouldn’t a showcase of concrete policy positions have been more useful? All right, three questions: This clip comes via A.C. Kleinheider, who praises it as “pretty solid.” But didn’t he recently accuse Palin of hijacking the tea party? An ad that plays on her popularity within the movement ain’t helping on the anti-hijacking score.

I don’t want to ask, but I have to ask: Is writing on your hand now the tea-party equivalent of that dorky O-bot hand gesture?