As an overt republican, I've taken a lot of personal attacks by people accusing me of supporting bush and the war. My defense has always been that it doesn't matter because the democrats won't do anything about it anyway.

In other words, the two party system gives a choice between sacks of shit and spineless sacks of shit. I'll take the vertebral smelly bags please.

BTW, I'm requesting my republican congress person to support the troops by not supporting the president. She's getting receptive.

The war won't be an issue next election because both parties will do the same thing. Bush will be gone and they'll slowly pull our troops out.

You claim the Dem's don't have a mandate and they don't have the support to force a timetable.

First, GW never had a mandate and look what he's managed to pull off. He had the spine to seize his own mandate.

Second, they don't need additional support to overcome a veto. They hold the purse strings. So GW vetos. Big deal. Pass the same thing again and send it back. The worst that can happen is that the troops are pulled out of danger. I do believe that GW is psychopathic enough to send unarmed and unarmored US soldiers into battle. I also believe that he won't be obeyed and that's what might finally lead to impeachment.

Regardless, it doesn't matter. The dem power players have blood all over their hands too. They approved this war in the first place. Why should anyone expect them to stop it.

I'm proud to have voted for both Perot and for Nader. We need a third party.

Historically speaking, women so late in life bearing children is new. Everything else is pretty old. People have been experimenting with relationships and living arrangements for millenia. There really aren't any new permutations. People being shocked at the re-emergence of an old idea is an indication of poor education. That's not new either.

What should become quaint is the notion that these ancient ideas are radically new.

By the way, that's how a conservative can be comfortable with most social issues. They ain't new.

I wish Joan had booed. She could have written about how great it felt. But maybe that would have been over the top.

Another one of those sugar and spice and everything nice articles.

Got news for ya - there are an awful lot of conservatives reading salon. We read it for content and quality. It would be a shame if it became a liberal trumpet.

Here's a definition of liberal: A liberal is someone who reacts with paralyzing shivering fear to the concept that someone, somewhere might do something for themselves.

It's kind of amazing that people still equate republican to conservative. Also amazing that they equate democrat to liberal. Conservative and liberal refer more to an individual's world view. republican and democrat have more to do with brands and advertising.

And don't forget - if you put kerry on the ticket, you share the blame.

Every time they back down, the dems establish their complicity. They backed down on going to war, they backed down on stopping it. Taking away the money is how they stop it. It is also how they show they actually have a sense of right and wrong versus political expedient.

At least Obama is respectable. Hillary has yet to admit her mistake, which should be immediately followed by begging our forgiveness.

On the other hand, the republicans are just as guilty. Sadly, I don't find them to be more guilty. Just more of the same.

Great summation. Joan may fire you for this article, but I'll subscribe to wherever you land.

Sometimes a "a state of complete paralysis" is better. I like my neocons paralyzed, not empowered.

Thanks, Joan, for getting out front and voicing some of the disgust we feel for the democrats who won't oppose bush. The republican side of the aisle is deaf, but the democrat side is mute. If we yell loud enough, the dems might lip sync a bit out of embarrasment.

You write about "us" and "them". When you use the 1st person plural I hope you don't intend to include all the salon readership. There are a lot of conservatives here. Not necessariy neocons or jesus freaks. Just conservative - as in don't fix what ain't broke.

Hmmm, a conservative can be an activist these days without hypocracy because so very much is broken.

I hate when I'm hurrying and my spell check craps out. Sorry for the ebonics.

I voted for bush in 2004 and I take full responsibility for my actions. I would still vote for bush over kerry. As much as I hate the current occupant, I still believe that kerry was a worse choice.

Let's compare the two as they drive the bus off a cliff.

bush arrogantly says it isn't going over. A third of the people cross themselves and smile. Another third are screaming. The rest are too tired to care.

Kerry smugly assures everyone that it is the smart thing to do and it won't really hurt. One third of the people lecture the subdued third that it really is so very smart and only the ignorant people don't understand. The last third has crammed against the escape door but few are getting out.

If kerry had been elected, we would still be in iraq. The various scandals would have been pardoned and covered up. The patriot act would have still been renewed. All the federal prosecutors would be democrat loyalists ...

If you put kerry on the ticket, you share the blame

Funny how things come around. He refused to listen to others, now they refuse to listen to him. This duck gets lamer every day.

Enough pressure and maybe bush will crack the rest of the way.