Here are a couple of entries for your gobsmacking collection:

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on political speech:

I’m not for profiling people on the color of their skin, or on their religion, but I would take into account where they’ve been traveling and perhaps, you might have to indirectly take into account whether or not they’ve been going to radical political speeches by religious leaders. It wouldn’t be that they are Islamic. But if someone is attending speeches from someone who is promoting the violent overthrow of our government, that’s really an offense that we should be going after — they should be deported or put in prison.

Well, if he’s in favor of that, he’s in favor of jailing himself.

And then there’s Rep. Allen West (R-FL), always good for a laugh, even if it’s hollow and sardonic. This time he’s explaining that gays and lesbians can “change their behavior,” based on the theory that being gay is a choice, and that the military isn’t the place for social experimentation.

But the U.S. military is not there as a social experiment and for those who will sit up there and say, Congressman, you should understand because you’re black. Unless I’m Michael Jackson, I can’t change my color. But people can change behavior. And you do not base being a part of the military on adjusting to individual behavior. That’s my concern. And when you look at what our young men and women have to contend with, we’re talking about men and women fifth and sixth tours in combat zones. Now is not the time to appease a very small special interest group and I’ll leave it at that.

Except that being gay isn’t a choice any more than being black is, and if President Harry S Truman had listened to that kind of talk about “social engineering” in 1948, Mr. West would have served his country as a mess steward.