Amazing, the loose coalition formally known as the Republican Party is slowing corroding and falling into disrepair.  Formed of social conservatives, fiscal conservatives, and security conservatives the party previously owned and controlled by the social conservatives has been hijacked by the so called neo-conservatives.

The religious fringe of the Republican Party started out being tolerated by the rest of the party, then courted by them and now it seems they are demanding the affections of a party that has simply lost interest in them.

Dick Cheney, in 1994, made it clear that he was completely against going into Iraq for exactly all the reasons we are now stuck in the middle of the worst mistake this country has ever made.

The Republicans thought they knew Dick, but as it turns out … not so much.

If it’s Fred Thompson announcing for President, then it must be the 4th of July, right?  Oh, wait, he was three months late.  Maybe Fred just thinks it is Hollywood fashionable to be late.

Does that mean if he gets elected President, he’ll wait until April for the inaugural ceremonies?  The question is what was Fred hiding from during those three months.   Why would he have not wanted to jump into the campaign and get up on stage and answer voters questions?

[ Insert Law and Order Sound Here ] Something is wrong with this picture and it most likely has to do with a piece of Senator Thompson’s history he was cleaning up to prepare for the rigors of the campaign trail.

Best of luck Fred.

Former Speaker Hastert will be the first of many members of Congress with an R after their names to step down and leave the governing to others.  Why?  Because it’s simply not as much fun to be in the minority as it is to be in the Majority.

Republican’s treated the Democrats like dirt for twelve long evil years while they were in the Majority, and now they whine and complain that the Democrats are treating them about 50% as badly.

Look for many more Republicans to simply not run for reelection.  This “minority effect” will sweep an even larger Democratic majority into the House and Senate in 2008.

There is no such thing as a free lunch an somebody has to pay for bridges, roads, policemen, garbage pickup, parks, street sweeping, firefighters, 911 and ambulances.  Yes, everyone wants lower taxes, but not at the cost of bridges falling down or water mains creating house eating sink holes.

Have our Federal, State and Local governments become like most publicly held companies?  Only concerned with the current quarters profits and not concerned with the future strength or weakness of the enterprise?

It is imperative for national and local security that our roads are in good repair, that our water and gas mains stay intact and that our general welfare be maintained.  If our current crop of elected officials do not have the balls to raise taxes and secure our greater good, then we as a society need to throw the bums out and elect a new crop.

Yes, everyone enjoys lower taxes.  But those people on that bridge in Minnesota most likely wish they’d paid that little bit of gas tax instead of falling into the Mississippi river.

Ok, now it’s clear.  O’Reilly hates the Daily Kos site because it free.  It wasn’t clear at first exactly what Bill was whining about this time, but now it makes since.  O’Reilly is attempting to get Internet users to pay nearly fifty bucks a year to subscribe to his website; while, The Daily Kos site is 100% free.

If you can’t find what floats your boat at The Daily Kos website, then try Politico or Topix, both totally cost free.

What on earth makes Mr. No Spin think his site is worth so much that he can charge for so called premium features?  Features such as just listening to the radio show anyone can capture off the air for free!
 
It was always evident that Bill had a screw loose, now we all know the loose screw was in his wallet.  Geez.

Weren’t the Republicans the ones who wanted a government that taxed its people fairly, and weren’t the Democrats the one in favor of gay rights – what happened to that?

Gay couples are expected to pay the exact same income and property taxes that everyone else pays.  However, there is no box on the tax form that says, ” Check here for a 20% discount if you can’t use all the services provided by your government”.

Gay couples still pay school taxes in states where they are not allowed to adopt children.  Gay Couples still pay social security taxes to a system that allows non-working married couples to extend benefits to their spouses while gay couples pay exactly (if not more) and are denied that benefit.

Gay couples pay state taxes to support a civil court system that would protect a relatives right to sue for wrongful death or injury of a spouse.  Gay couples still get to pay state taxes, but are in most cases denied access to the courthouse.

What do you want to bet that the Republican candidates all made just a little bit of pee in their pants when they heard that ‘Lil George was going to be paying a visit to South Carolina to shore up support among Republicans?  With friends like George supporting your party who needs Democrats to trash talk it?  This is the same Bush that went around the country selling the same message just before the midterm elections and voters didn’t buy then either.

Every time Bush opens his mouth about Iraq, 70% of Americans scream at their TVs, “What part of YOU WERE WRONG does The President not get”?  He was wrong about WMD, he was wrong not to send enough troops to secure Iraq after the fall of Baghdad, he was wrong to disband the Iraqi army weapons in toe, he was wrong to order the army to drive right by munitions caches on their way to Baghdad, and right now - this very minute - George W. Bush is wrong when he says staying in Iraq will keep America safer.

Staying in Iraq is making America more exposed.  Our military is stretched to the breaking point, the troops are not rested and the President is oblivious to all of this.  With our troops out of Iraq we could concentrate on a three-point plan to make America in fact safer:

1. Implement real counter terrorism measures here at home.
2. Move more forces into Afghanistan and Pakistan and take off the head of al Qaeda – the real al Qaeda, not the one in Mesopotamia.
3. Bring our National Guard home with the equipment needed to help Americans in disasters and to help secure our southern boarder.

Instead, our troops are stuck in Donald Rumsfeld’s “long hard slog” going nowhere and accomplishing nothing.  Well, they are acting as great recruiting agents for al Qaeda, Hezbolah and Hamas.  Leaving Iraq to the Iraqis to sort out would make for a better Iraq and a safer America.

Leaving George W. Bush at home and out of South Carolina would make for easier campaigning for Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain.

Three years ago, President George W. Bush said he assured the American people that any member of his administration responsible for the outing a CIA employee’s name would be fired and punished.  Period.

Today, however, the President of The United States admitted at a White House press conference that a member of his administration had leaked that name.  So, how is it that nobody has been fired, and the only person convicted of a crime in connection with the investigation has received a commutation?

Hello, Mr. Bush?  Hey, Mr. President?  YO, GEORGE?!  Wake up and do your job!  You, sir, stood on the steps of the Capital, placed your hand on the bible and swore to uphold the Constitution of The United States of America, and now no one is asking you do anything other than that which you swore to do.

The double standards your administration will be remembered for by history will cultivate the creation of a new term.  In years to come to “bush” will mean to say whatever is required to keep people silent just long enough to do what one was planning to do any event.  Congratulations, Mr. President, your wish has come true; you will be remembered by history after all – well, at least by etymologist.

How in the name of all that is holy in the heavens could George W. Bush justify his actions yesterday?  In giving Scooter a get out of jail free card, he in one stroke of the pen neutralized every single word he uttered during the 2000 Presidential campaign.

What became of the Governor from Texas who said at every campaign stop, that when he took the oath of office for President of the United States he would also, “swear to restore dignity and respect to the Oval Office” –This is what he meant?

According to Mr. Bush’s thinking it must only be wrong for a government official to lie about having oral sex.  It wasn’t the oral sex for which Bill Clinton was impeached - according to then Governor Bush; it was the perjury before a court of law. 

Then, the Republican controlled House of Representatives championing the virtues of the rule of law, impeached President Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice.  The Republicans argued, pleaded and begged the American people to understand what a serious and dangerous crime perjury is.   50 Republican’s in the Senate (Including Fred Thompson) voted to convict President Clinton for perjury.

Has the rule of law changed?  Has perjury become less of a threat to our system of justice?  How can the very same Republicans – who so eagerly condemned President Clinton and called for the removal of a twice duly elected setting President – now be so thrilled that Scooter has received what amounts to a pardon.

Oh there may be some technical difference between a pardon and a commutation of sentence.  But, President Bush will pardon Mr. Libby in due time.

Shame on President Bush for being so treacherous and shame on the Republican ditto heads for not seeing the double standard they are declaring.

Oh, yeah, and welcome to Like A Native!  What a day to start a new blog.  Well, at least there is meat to chew on today.

Think Like A Native.