"Great American" Sean Hannity showed just how much he loves his country last night when, in yet another slobbering interview with Dr. Benjamin Carson, he announced that Republicans should shut down the federal government. Why? in order to repeal Obamacare. That's right, in order to repeal a law that provides health insurance for all Americans, Hannity wants to halt food inspections, medical research, air traffic controllers and God only knows what else. What could be more patriotic?

It may be less than six months after the last presidential election but, as I've previously written, Fox is already recruiting Carson for 2016. Yet the fact that Carson keeps climbing into bed with Fox News - and Hannity in particular - indicates he's either too foolish or too naive to be a serious candidate. Even if he did tell Hannity, "Certainly, if a year or a year and a half from now, there's significant sentiment, I would certainly have to give it consideration but you know how things come and go. So I think it is way too early to even think about it."

Not too early for a Great American! A graphic on the screen read, "Ask Dr. Carson," suggesting this may be a regular feature on the show. But Hannity, it would seem, couldn't resist grandstanding. When Carson's first answer revealed that he likes Sen. Rand Paul as a future candidate because of his courage to stand on principles, Hannity announced he's a guy who believes in the courage of his convictions, too! He said:

"That is my biggest criticism of Republicans. Republicans right now, if they really want to - not just symbolically - if they want to repeal ...Obamacare? They've gotta shut the government down and be labeled, 'the full faith and credit of the United States is in jeopardy!' Which is not true. But if they really want to do that, that's what it will take. I want them to do it!"

You'd think that might have been a clue to Carson that he's not palling around with the kind of pundit who speaks to mainstream America. He replied, "Yeah, I think they need to also have a replacement ready to go." He added, "I think it can be crafted fairly quickly because we already spend way more than enough money on health care. And I want to do it in such a way that we put the power in the hands of the people."

I'll go out on a limb here and say that unless Democrats nominate Bill Ayers or Bernie Madoff, Carson will never be president. But just as Fox did with last year's never-would-be, Donald Trump, Hannity acted as if he were dealing with a serious candidate. "What would Dr. Carson do if he was president?" Hannity "asked."