I've had a very spiritual orientation to my life in the past. I've had experiences like Bush and his buddies, not with Jesus, but with other types of spiritual epiphany. The characteristics sound the same, like when Bush's buddy gets down on the kitchen floor with the Mazola oil, and feels lightning bolts coming out of his shoulders and as if he were floating off the ground. I've had experiences that were very similar.

In reading about Bush and his buddies' experience, and understanding that I've had the same or similar experience, and taking into consideration that these are the world's worst villains who are more separated from the all-is-one reality than most everyone else on earth, I truly despair. If these hideous wastes of space and air can feel like they are God's chosen ones while they rape, pillage and steal, and given the fact that they clearly are not but are simply deluded (either that, or we need to accept that God is one nasty character), does this mean that all spiritual thought is merely delusion?

Put more simply: If the world's most corrupt people can legitimately feel that they have been chosen by their god, that is a huge strike to the credibility of spirituality and religion. No?

The part I don't agree with is the "that moment has passed" part. Sure, many moments have passed while the Dems offered ineffectual resistance to the single biggest threat the republic has faced since WW2. However, many moments have yet to come when the Dems could suddenly discover some personal integrity and some balls, and do the job they're being paid to do.

It's not gonna happen. But one must still agree, the possibility exists.

However, the part about demonstrating the inability and unwillingness to govern, that is absolutely true. The Dems are in Washington to have fancy offices, meet with lobbyists, and go to the occasional congressional session, which makes them feel so important and relevant to our times. Doesn't that sound nice? If you were in that position, you would probably enjoy that too. So who can blame them if they don't want to rock that boat? Their motivation, clearly, is to create as few waves as possible. However, occasionally they have to read their lines in this kabuki play. "Mr. Bush, tear down this wall!" or something to that effect. Then they sit down and resume their conversation with the charming person sitting next to them.

Admitting this truth doesn't mean Karl Rove is a great guy. When it rains, Rove and you would probably both agree that it's raining.

I'll continue to vote for the Republican-lite party as a lesser of two evils, in the same way I sign those petitions of support for poor [name of underprivileged person] in [developing country] who is suffering from [some malady]. However, I'm not going to get all excited that I live in a representative democracy. Rather, I will continue to hedge my bets by making sure I've always got another country I can run to when the shit hits the fan here.

Yes, there have been some failures of will by some congressional Democrats.

SOME failures? Try, LOADS of failures on absolutely crucial issues. Their successes would make up a much shorter list. And if you weigh their successes against how crucial those measures were, they wouldn't even deserve mention. For example, raising the minimum wage is great and needed to happen. But raising the minimum wage while continuing to provide the president a blank check on the war and torture make the minimum wage absolutely meaningless. Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

But to say that Rove is therefore "right" to impute to Democrats a party-specific inability to govern is to wave a white flag to Rove's continuing assault on rationality -- and, indeed, to enlist in his ranks.

To say we're enlisting in his ranks takes it too far. The Democrats' inability to govern in any sort of meaningful way is well documented and has nothing to do with Rove. He's simply saying what it is, and also taking his conclusion a bit far in saying the moment has passed. Also, what he doesn't mention is the disaster that the Bush Administration have brought to the country. Of course, that's understood by almost everyone now.

All the Democratic apologies about no veto-proof majority etc is a smokescreen. If the Dems were actually serious about ending the war and torture -- I mean Continental Congress, Declaration of Independence type serious -- there is A LOT more they could do. Those suggestions have been made. Keep in mind, by running cover for Democrats who refuse to do their job in the face of a radical threat to the republic, is a big part of the problem. The reason why Democrats fail to do their job, with such utter impunity, is because they feel that they can keep their cushy jobs without actually following the will of the people. You guys are affirming this conclusion. Apologies for the Democrats are part of the problem.

In the final analysis, Rove is one of the worst villains of the 21st Century, and the Democrats are impotent, probably willfully so. These facts don't cancel each other out.

Sugarman, what precisely didn't you like about Bebop-o's poem? Sure, it ridicules you for bending over backward to defend a shitbag like Shooter242. So what? The response to your posts seems to always be ridicule. Surely you must be used to that by now.

What was it about Bebop's ridicule that stuck in your craw?