Who better to review the new book by beloved Democratic loudmouths James Carville and Paul Begala than The New Republic’s most prominent Clintonite, Peter Beinart?

During the Clinton era, Carville served as one of the President’s top advisors and Begala was one of the Democratic Party’s top strategists. Post-Clinton, both of them are A-list punditocracy stars and the originators of a lovingly created fake rivalry that has resulted in two books of Democrat self-critiquing, Buck Up, Suck Up and the new Take It Back.

In his Washington Post review of Take It Back, Beinart reminds us why we love the dynamic duo so much. It’s, well, the sarcasm and the sniping:

The most honest answer—reading between the lines—is that Carville and Begala want to rescue the Democratic Party from the political consultants who succeeded them. One of the minor dramas of both the Gore and Kerry campaigns was the candidates’ decision to rely heavily on strategists outside the Clinton orbit (most notably, Bob Shrum). Carville and Begala don’t name names, but they are smart, funny and ruthless in dissecting the mistakes and idiocies of the Democratic campaigns of 2000, 2002 and 2004. The book is most convincing when it is most elitist—a kind of “why can’t anyone play this game” attack on the Democratic Party’s inability to find strategists as talented as they are.

There was also Begala’s great appearance on The Colbert Report, which bought us this classic quote: “Everyone knows James Carville isn’t playing with a full deck. But I’m the only one who knows which cards are missing.” But the best news of all is that Carville and Begala will be appearing at the Y on Sunday, March 5 as part of our In the News with Jeff Greenfield series.

[James Carville and Paul Begala: 03/05/06]