"By any conventional political measure, breaking with the toughness paradigm and launching a direct attack on Bush's 'war on terror' could be seen as rash to the point of insanity."

Makes for a nice rant, but it would certainly take Mark Foley and the National Intelligence Estimate off the front page. One lesson from history that Mr. Kamiya needs to learn is that people who would rather be right than be President always get their wish -- just ask President Goldwater or President McGovern. This "holier than thou" type of ideological purity, worn on the sleve, is a sure route to electoral disaster. Nothing more, nothing less.

While the thoughts about effectively combatting terrorism are largely correct, effective outreach 1) is meaingless without a resolution of the Israli/Palestinian problem, and 2) will still have to be accompanied by a fair bit of jingoist rhetoric here at home. People want to fight back. And frankly, some bit of fighting back is necessary. And if we have to add a bit of extra rhetorical gloss on to get elected, I'm all for it.

Just because someone grumbles about the state of current affairs does nto mean that they are not generally content. Apparently, it doesn't bother him enough to go get a new car, why does it bother you?

The apparently irrestible urge that people have to try to change other peoples lives just drives me crazy. For the life of me, I don't understand it.

I regret that I haven't had the time today to read all of the letters in reply to this article. But the Republicans response to the confluence of all these messes reminds me of what I have often called, in my chosen profession as a trial lawyer, the ABM Defense.

No, it's not anti-balistic missile, although given the context of the latest of Bush's chickens that has come home to roost, that bit of irony is not unnoticed. It the Anybody But Me!!

It is a courtroom defense that is used, often very aggressively and belligerantly by those civil defendant (usually negligent trucking companies of manufacturer of highly defective products) who have no legitimate excuse for their actions. The louder they squeal, the more guilty they are. And these swine are squealing like pigs stuck under a gate. Guilty, guilty, guilty!!!

And if they want to blame this on Bill Clinton, I say "Grate." I can't think of a better person to come in and throw the final spade of dirt on this reign of witches. I'll put his rhetorical skill, popularity, judgment, and credibility up against thiers any day of the week.

Damn, that was a dumb thing to say. When your opponent is drowning, all you're supposed to do is discretely slip him an anvil, not turn the spotlight on yourself.

I don't know how bad it will hurt, but it damn sure wasn't a smart move.

"At some point, you almost have to feel sorry for poor Ken Blackwell. . . ."

The hell I do! Other than Catherine Harris, I can't think of anyone who more richly deserves a good public ass kicking at the polls than this SOB.

I think all Democrats should adopt the motto, "Forgive and remember." We should forgive John Kerry, whose wife could finance his 2008 run if she so chose for being selfish with his campaign hoard. But once he dips his toes into the Presidential campaign waters -- which would be a terrible mistake in any event -- we should all remember and ask the question "Gee Senator, where were you with your money in 2006?"

Negative ads are pervasive because they work. Instead of bitching about it, the Democratic party should fund independent expenditures for independent groups to run their own ads. Trash the Republicans, and say, "Oh, I wish they wouldn't run those bad adds. But under the law, we're not allowed to communicate with these people or coordinate message with them."

Get with the program. Politics is a contact sport. Fight fire with fire. The object of the game is to win the election. Once you've won the race, then you can go all the good you want in office. But if you loose the race, you can't do a damn thing.

(And by the way, I agree with the previous poster who has said that Ford has had a pitch perfect response himself. But his surrogates, at least those with plausible deniability, need to attack without remorse and take no prisoners.

I know that if I had just had the Federal Government harping at me when I was in college and law school, it would certainly have changed my behavior!!

With programs like this, perhaps it isn't so surprising that they could make such disastrous decisions in the foreign policy arena. Maybe they're not arrogant and high handed. Maybe they're just dumber than a box or rocks.

Or as someone far more eloquent said in the course of observing human sexual follies, "What fools these mortals be."