"During the cold war Reagan's defense build-up, decision to deploy new missiles in europe (despite massive protests), and his rhetoric (Evil Empire) all contributed to the rise of Gorbachav and ultimately accelerated the demise of that system. The dems/libs opposed all.

Now we have a gop that is utterly inept at handling terrorism. Consider how much damage the invasion of iraq has done in lives, money and US credibility. What's more, look at how hard it'll be to garner future support for military action based on intel. Who will believe it?

Bush has been an unmitigated disaster. Isolationism isn't the solution. Bullying isn't a policy. McCain shows no promise in the realms diplomatic initiative, nuanced thinking, creative solutions, etc… He's a blustering politician. I hereby denounce my lifelong allegiance to the gop.

Actually, the current admin was the turning point, but the selection of Palin was just another indication of how far this party has fallen. the only constitutionally mandated function of the vp is to assume the presidency should the prez be unable to serve. the only way to assess palin is as a potential prez. foreign policy is of particular importance since it's the province of the executive and opportunists are liable to exploit the turmoil and transition of mccain's demise and the ascendency of this lightweight.

Mccain's 2 most important decisions of the recent past have been on iraq and his vp choice. both are horrible choices, proving his decision-making is faulty. obama has chosen wisely on both fronts. clearly he has the intelligence, temperament and judgment. although his lack of experience is a concern to any fair-minded person, he appears to have exceptional judgment.

— Posted by Former republican (NYT co0mments)