Agreed! Kermit Is Not A Pinko Commie!

Red Dog, I'm noticing that the GOP leadership is rolling out its time-tested strategies for mobilizing its base. It begins with gay marriage amendment, continues with the flag burning amendment and now includes the yearly "let's kill PBS & NPR legislation." Honestly, I think it's pathetic so I, therefore, agree with you.

Hallelujah! Dog and LR agree on something besides local politics. I'll even concede one more that idiocy prevails on both left and right, especially when it comes time to appeal to the respective bases.

There is so much happening in the U.S. or concerning the U.S. that these misdirections of public attention should be noted for what they are. You are right, they are pathetic (right wing) pandering to the populace! How's that for alliteration!Whether you agree or not, we've got Iraq to stabilize and get out of. I disagree, Vietnam turned out fine after 30 or so years, they are even in line for favored nation status for trade. We broke it, we own it, let's just pay for it and get the hell out of the store. You've got a raging illegal (not legal) immigration debate that may trump American sentiment more than the war effort right now. Even immigration brings the Left and Right together everywhere but on Capitol Hill, the land where advocacy and big business act as if they're diametrically opposed, yet somehow guarantee the public will is thwarted.(Amen)

This is the equivalent of Dems bringing up the abortion debate to spirit its Base around presidential primary time,(You just had to throw that in, didn't you? O.K. cheap shot, but I'll count it.) so there aren't any Good Guys and Bad Guys. (Tom DeLay was bad, bad) But, this GOP strategy is blatantly obvious. Bringing gay marriage amendment proposals immediately after you've screwed your base on the immigration issue is shallow. It didn't bump the polls. Al-Zarqawi's death did give Bush a four percent bump over the weekend. That's a tangible "War on Terror" breakthrough and the public recognizes it.(Not so fast, my friend, but I'll comment on that later.)

Anyway, RD, you're right. (I love it, you could have said it about eight more times though!) The Dead Horses that are long-time GOP, election year strategies are being rolled out. People support PBS/NPR, they support tougher crackdowns on ILLEGAL immigration, not immigration in general, are 60-40 against the Iraq mission, aren't paying attention to gay marriage and oppose flag burning if you throw it in their collective faces.

Let's concentrate on the mundane issues to boost re-election efforts if we're the Right. Let's congratulate the Left for downplaying the death of a major, and active, terrorist who personally committed atrocities - not just served as a cheerleader from the depths of a Pakistani mountain.

They leave me equally dismayed and further my belief that the major parties may be switching roles or that a Unity Party may become more viable if this continues. Those pop up about every 75 years or so.My prediction is that isolationist thought - a la 1919 through 1941 could prevail.

It serves those irritated by immigration and those against war and internationalism. It also allows people to support troops, but do EVERYTHING to avoid war in the first place. The Republicans held this belief for decades while the Democrats reformulated under the New Deal and Great Society. Now the GOP's offering generous social welfare programs and the Dems seem very isolationist.

If you want a President Hillary, it happens if she swallows the party pride and picks a Gingrich or Allen if she wins the nomination. She's proven to play well even with conservative ideologues.

McCain fits this mold as well as someone who could reach across the aisle, given current political winds, and guarantee a landslide.

Maybe Gingrich himself, who spent ten years recrafting his public image.Hmm. Just think about, Red Dog

LR, You give me a lot to consider. Yeah we really aren't that far apart on what makes BS on both the Left and the Right. However, people tend to forget that it is and has been a Republican majority for most of Bush's reign. This is the same rhetoric that has gotten us nowhere. Remember the President getting out of bed to fly to Washington to sign the Terri Schiavo bill? The pork in the Highway Bill? Wasn't Karl Rove appointed the czar of reconstruction after Katrina? I mean the hubris of the Republicans has been blatant. A nuclear option? Gimme a break! K Street Giveaways, they have slapped the country in the face numerous times to only further their own financial interests.

Your prediction on Isolationism. I don't know, I see your basis for the argument, however, I feel that global economics and competition will trump whatever sentiments the public might have. I don't see a "worker's of the world, unite" effort taking wings. I do think that the days of the USA being able to dictate to lesser countries outside this hemisphere are, pardon the expression; "in its last throes."

On Zarqawi, he was an evil man that got the justice he deserved. He was, however, not the leader of the Iraq insurgency. He was able to recruit for al Qaida (with our help) many more terrorists than we have been able to kill. That was the danger in making the guy to be bigger than he was. He was able to incite Sunnis against Shiite and vice versa and throw in some Kurds and you have the makings of a civil war. His death will not change anything in Iraq that we have to deal with. To believe so is foolish and evidence of too much Kool-aid intake.

It's too soon for me to speculate on '08. President Hillary? President McCain? I dunno, I'll have to mull those possibilities for awhile. A ticket of Clinton and Gingrich would just be radical. In the meantime, keep those contributions coming in for NPR and PBS.

Congratulations on getting a local for "DeltaScoop", I hope it works out. I'll be looking in as usual. I guess my link will still work to go over to Delta Scoop?