MAV,

On elitism, You might want to read "Who Rules America? : Power and Politics in the Year 2000 -- G. William Domhoff"

Being PC is funny, when carried to an extreme. But then, so is being religiously correct. The danger is to mandate either. And the problem is to come up with acceptable definitions.

Super IQ? - do I detect a budding Luddite?. IQ, as used and measured in our society today tests (mostly) the ability to pass standardized IQ tests. I don't think having or not having a high IQ has a lot to do with much of anything except that as a culture we seem to have a 'mad scientist going to destroy the world" fixation. History has demonstrated that having or not having a high IQ has little to do with being able to royally screw things up.

Ethical Freedom - Do you mean situational ethics as opposed to the freedom to follow various ethical systems?

The probability of bi-partisanship in this Congress is remote. The battle will be over legislation, not cabinet appointments. The best is yet to be. BTW, Did he really say that? Do you have a source? Maybe he and GWB had the same PolySci Professor in College as both seem to have creative views about our system of government.

And while you may live in the "the highest taxed, most liberal state in the US", I seem to remember taxes in the US as a percent of GNP are the lowest in the industrialized world. Small consolation, true. But consider my State.

My State is moderate leaning to conservatism and has one of the lowest per capita taxes in the nation (Florida). They (the Conservative Governor and Legislature) do fun and creative things, almost destroy the Everglades and allow series overbuilding and uncontrolled development. We consistently underfund education (about a billion annually) and use as justification (despite clear proof to the contrary stretching back over 10 years) that our school population isn't really growing. We had vouchers. They were found unconstitutional. We don't have enough text books even in our best schools and the answer is to underfund and institute programs to take away even more money. Granted, our funding is better than Texas but not by much. Oh, and the State Board of Reagents that runs the State University System is about to be abolished and repalced with separate boards for each University. The first such in the Nation and one guaranteed to increase political patronage and decrease quality of education.

I add this because we aren't a liberal state (in the sense of State government), don't have high taxes and our leaders can by no means be considered PC, High IQ or ethically free. (elitism's another matter).

The argument that in the final analysis Congress is just one big mutual admiration society is probably less true now than it was 15 or 20 years ago. Both sides make deals to get what they want. Some call it politics as usually. A sort of flexible value/ethics thing practiced by both sides. Practicality is one way to describe their behavior. So is situational ethics or what you seem to be calling "ethical freedom". Another is the ever popular cynicism "the end justifies the means." Its not an ideological thing so much as how we play at politics. It may even be a necessary thing. Its not linked to party, though. (IMO)

I won't argue that Democrats aren't guilty , nor maintain the Republicans are. Whether they are one or the other has not a lot to do with it. Power has everything to do with it and Power truly corrupts, whether it grows out of politics or money or fame.

Kat,

I came across the this re: rape and civil rights: http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/01/11/scotus.02/

Thanks for the other link.

Regards, John