I am constantly amazed at how easily a guy of supposedly low intelligence has been able to twist things around for his party's purposes. He (and the republican right)has laid claim to the high ground of "civility", after his party has been responsible (at least equally with the dems) for eight of the most contentious years that I can remember. He claims to be a "uniter, not a divider" and then immediately sets out to drag back into the political arena some of the most divisive and heated issues possible. And let's keep in mind that these are social issues, not issues that of necessity belong in the political arena. And yet he's getting away with it.

There is no - N-O - great desire to reverse the policies of the last eight years. The fact that Al Gore is not our president today is in no sense a repudiation of the democratic policy of Bill Clinton. Four years ago Bill was re-elected OVERWHELMINGLY. Whatever reasons you want to give for the Bush presidency - backlash against the Lewinsky scandal, a weak and wooden campaign by Gore, the promise of a big tax cut, the Nader factor, Bush's "charisma" (oh, ick), or outright theft by the reactionary members of the Supreme Court - there is no mandate to return to the glory days of Ronnie, and Dick and George Sr.

GBush junior is extremely dangerous. He has started out by raising the concerns of women. He will soon be in full attack on the environment (in the name of business, industriousness, growth and continued prosperity!). A lot of people stand to make a lot of money.

But in the long run, he is greater danger to his own party and in particular to the genuine conservatives who, in their desire to regain the white house, put their faith in this charlatan. In the end, the COST to the rest of us for making his friends richer is going to be to high to bear and judging by this beginning, his end will be swift. Four years and out. And not a Republican administration to be seen for a long time.