mack the knife

Hillary Clinton, presumed heir apparent for the Democratic presidential
nomination in 2008, was recently quoted as condemning what she calls
the extreme right. Such sentiments have been a staple of her political
message for as long as we can remember if for no other reason than she
is a spokeswoman for the extreme left. Of late, however, the
Republican Party is quietly taking stock and is poised to straightarm
the more extreme elements of the so-called Christian Right who seem to
think their participation in the last election almost single-handedly
reelected George W. Bush. It is a laughable assertion, considering the
depth and breadth of his coalition, but the media has encouraged them
to believe it and they consider that Bush is now duty-bound to fight
for all of their causes no matter how silly or how politically
dangerous. The Schiavo case was a good example that backfired on
Republicans. The President, who advocated stepping in to "rescue"
Terri Schiavo after she had spent 15 years on a hospital bed severely
brain damaged and kept alive with artificial life support, saw his poll
numbers plummet. More moderate forces in the Republican Party realized
immediately that her case was not that controversial and sought to
distance themselves from all the hype and hoopla surrounding the case.
Because of the length of time she had been kept alive with no
noticeable improvement, the courts in Florida were probably correct,
morally as well as legally, when they upheld her ex-husband's authority
to remove her feeding tube. Unfortunately, this didn't stop religious
extremists from raising a major stink and creating a circus-like
atmosphere out of the poor woman's final days. As a result, they have
lost face and influence amongst Americans in general and Republicans in
particular.
Witnessing the political fallout of the case upon the right and
feeling full of themselves, again, I predict that the far left is going
to make a major political miscalculation, and nobody represents the far
left better than Hillary Clinton. True, she is an opportunist who will
adjust her politics to suit the situation, but at heart, she is a
devoted socialist who believes in a strong central authority -- with
her at the helm. Given half a chance, she will put her foot in it. I
expect her and her supporters to come up with egg on their faces very
soon.

whizbang

The Repubs can't afford another Schiavo fiasco, yes, but is their
leadership smart enough to understand that? As for the lib dems
putting their foot in it, that usually ain't news cuz they do it all
the time and it doesn't seem to bother them at all.