To: Dan B. who wrote (487113 ) 11/5/2003 6:42:55 AM From: Raymond Duray Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 769670 How Pathetic and Stupid Are Moderate Republicans? A BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY by Chris Zappone They must feel pretty used by their leaders these days. After years of closing ranks and sticking together in the face of Democratic opposition, and feeling oh-so morally superior to Clinton, they find themselves duty-bound to support a White House determined to lie, cheat, steal, fib, spin, suppress, and repress their way into the history books as the most corrupt, incompetent, immoral administration ever. Suddenly, moderate, fair-minded Republicans must defend moves to censor CBS (that's some of the "freedom" for ya!), they must support a war whose motive morphs constantly (first it was imminent attack, then it was humanitarian reasons--weren't those the same reasons Clinton acted in Kosovo?), they must defend the unprosecuted Enron executives after those Bush-donating executives bilked investors for billions, and they must look the other way as the White House exposes a CIA spy to the nation for political revenge. RNC Chair Ed Gillispie notes to an audience that he believes in a two-party system. What a generous sentiment! Too bad the planners in the White House are trying to create one-party rule, not by pushing widely popular programs to the electorate, but by force, coercion, technicalities, redistricting, recall, halted recounts and rules changing. This is what the Republicans represent. And this is what little rank and file Republicans who love the word "freedom" and the colors red, white and blue sign off on when they endorse their idiotic leaders. So, thinking has become a particularly dangerous pastime for my moderate Republican friends. They are loath to consider the facts, because when they do everything comes crashing down on their heads. Then the party of "moral clarity" becomes the party of manipulation and lies and when they really starting thinking about how much they've been exploited by those in power, they can't get their bearings, at all. They're in moral freefall. With one thought only, "Oh, how I miss bashing Clinton!" So, the pathetic, lemming quality of their fear keeps them from looking up at the world around them. No, for the little, rodent like Republicans, it's a matter of keeping their heads down, and running with all their might over the edge, taking the whole once-great (and hopefully great again) United States of America with them. buzzflash.com