Though I think it's unlikely they'll ultimately pull the trigger, a formal defection from the Republican Party wouldn't be an act of desperation or petulance, but the smartest long-term poltiical strategy available to them under the circumstances. Though the leaders of the "values voters" set are a loathsome pack of religious fanatics and unabashed hypocrites, they aren't stupid. They are fully aware that not only does Giuliani have no chance of becoming president, but that the Republicans are about to be on the ass-end of the most stunning electoral repudiation delivered by the American public in a generation. Quite simply, they want to make sure they're the first horde of rats with a clear path off the ship before it disappears under the waves. Sure, it'll be ugly, but at least it will give them a fig leaf with which to conceal the full scope of their political toxicity and impotence when the election is ultimately lost.

If only we were smart enough to learn from their example! Would that Move On and other liberal groups were to convene and threaten a defection from the Democratic Party because of its ongoing refusal to challenge Bush on FISA, rendition, and the rest of his campaign to turn the U.S. Constitution into a roll of toliet paper. That's precisely what it would take to rid the party of its filthy collaborators, and get them to stop sticking their knives in our backs every time an opportunity to make a real difference arises.

Athenian notes, "Without further compromise, this is a winning defeat for the good guys. I don't think that is to be moaned about. FISA on the other hand...."

PRECISELY! What the hell is so goddamn hard to understand? Sure, it's disappointing that the bill didn't pass, but what matters now is that the Democrats aggressively exploit the matter by announcing that if the electorate wants sick children to have health insurance, all they need to do is vote out every Republican that deprived them of it. And, of course, the worst thing the Democrats could do politically -- the absolute worst thing -- would be to compromise in any way, providing the Republicans with evidence of how reasonable and "bipartisan" they are.

There is another aspect of this story that is immeasurably more important than anything related to SCHIP itself.

Rep. Pete Stark said that the president's claim to care about healthcare for children shouldn't be taken any more seriously than his "lies" about Iraq, and that under the "Republican plan" for the war, we "will have killed" 20,000 soldiers by 2013 . . . .

This is the way to clean the stink of Republicanism.

There is simply nothing more important than acknowledging the reality of the political and cultural civil war the Republican Party has been waging against democracy in this country for years, and putting an end to the sheer idiocy that “we’re all in this together.” Toward that end, we should be providing our vocal and enthusiastic support to those like Pete Stark who are willing to publicly stand up for the simple truth and confront Republican fanaticism, while ridding the Democratic Party of backstabbing collaborators like Rahm Emanuel, Jay Rockefeller, and Diane Feinstein, who are more than happy to help George Bush turn the U.S. Constitution into a role of toilet paper.

The American public will now recoil from this debate. No one but the far left will react with anything but horror. Stark has killed the debate.

Of course, there can be no more compelling evidence of the wisdom of a particular strategy than the dire warnings from a Republican troll that it will result in unmitigated disaster for the Democrats.

From the War Room post immediately preceding this one:

"At one point, Democratic Rep. Pete Stark said that the president's claim to care about healthcare for children shouldn't be taken any more seriously than his "lies" about Iraq, and that under the "Republican plan" for the war, we "will have killed" 20,000 soldiers by 2013, when SCHIP funding would have dropped under the bill Bush vetoed. Republican Rep. Joe Barton moved to have Stark's words stricken from the record."

Of course Barton moved to have Stark's comments stricken from the record, because, as Hastert says, "people are tired of the rhetoric," and Stark's accusations are such an egregious violation of the Congress's traditional prohibition against attacks on members character and integrity. But "Socialized Clinton-style Hillarycare for Illegals and their Parents"? Oh, well, that's entirely different, of course! See, that's Republicans, and we all know those silly rules don't apply to them.

When will these Democratic assholes finally recognize that they will never be able to cleanup the stinking cesspool of Republicanism until they learn to play by the same rules as the enemy? They need to stop "taking the high road," "elevating the conversation," "focusing on the issues," and anything else of the sort, and, instead, demonize, excoriate, and ridicule Republican fanatics until the cows come home. The Republican Party has been waging a political and cultural civil war against Democrats in this counrty for years, and it's about goddamn time the Democrats started fighting back.

Know what I (still) like to do on a rainy day?

Smear my head with butter and try to ram it up Judi's ass.

All The Best,

'Dolph Giuliani.