Timidity

Moderate and true conservative Republicans have turned a blind eye to the christo-fascists in their midst. Their timidity in the face of the haters among them has damaged our country and its political discourse for decades to come. Democrats, who should be the opposition party have been mostly timid in criticizing Republican policies and their disastrous results.

Even on the Iraq war, where 60% of the public believes BushCo. is doing a horrible job, Democrats can't agree on a set of counter-policies; hell they can't even agree on how to disagree with the Chickenhawks.

Strong antiwar comments in recent days by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean have opened anew a party rift over Iraq, with some lawmakers warning that the leaders' rhetorical blasts could harm efforts to win control of Congress next year.

Several Democrats joined President Bush yesterday in rebuking Dean's declaration to a San Antonio radio station Monday that "the idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong."

This was not even our Republican in Democrats clothing Joe Lieberman, but Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), Jim Marshall (D-Ga.), Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (Md.). And although not mentioned in this particular article, Hillary Clinton has fallen squarely into the timid camp. At a time that calls for strong leaders willing to make strong and principled stands on the critical issues surrounding our actions in the world, we get the triangulators of the Democratic leadership.

They would all do well to remember these words:

Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.

Thomas Jefferson