Why the GOP Hates America...

...because like the Taliban and Al Quaeda, they'd rather fight for the nihilation of this country and American society than have anyone who does not agree with their ideology succeed.

A Cancer on the Republican Party

The unseemly admission of an extramarital affair by Mark Sanford is the latest stain on the GOP, following a similar admission by Republican Senator John Ensign, attempted glory hole sex by Republican Senator Larry Craig, the bastard grandchild of Repubican Governor Sarah Palin, and the boy-chasing of Republican Congressman Mark Foley.

I personally don't believe such personal lapses affect anyone's ability to govern, lead or do their job—unless, of course, you insist on holding others accountable to this standard and claim you are the party of family values and preach moral purity.

The GOP has painted itself into this corner and are now exposed for the hypocrites they are— both Sanford and Craig, for example, strongly called for Bill Clinton's ouster and impeachment as President when the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke, insisting he was not morally equipped to hold office.

As for the latest scandal, the main reason the Mark Sanford story continues to have legs is because Sanford continues to talk about it obsessively. He sounds like a pathetic, developmentally-arrested adolescent. If this woman is his "soul mate," then he should divorce his wife; how is his wife supposed to feel as he continues to insisthe is still emotionally obsessed with this other woman? He is admitting his marriage is a failure.

I believe Sanford genuinely believes his infidelity is somehow more "honorable" because this is about "true love," not raw sex—as if that will absolve him of cheating on his wife, breaking his religious and marriage vows, and of his hypocrisy as yet another politician who was unable to live up to the moral values he insists on imposing on others.

The ongoing hypocrisy of the GOP is a cancer on the Republican Party. If they continue to insist on holier-than-thou politics, they will only see their moral credibility continue to decline and become more marginalized.

Something's Gotta Give

Unless something truly dramatic happens, it's likely that the election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ultimately will be upheld, even if the ruling authority has to make some symbolic concessions.

Nevertheless, the protests in Iran clearly show how much pent up frustration there is in the country under clerical, repressive rule. It no doubt is a wake up call to the powers that be both in Iran and the other regimes in the region who have exerted control and power that their populations are beginning to bristle under their paternalistic, oppressive authority, and that their sway over the nation is not as strong as they thought.

The response to the election results also exposes Ahmadinejad's unpopularity. Even by the standards of the Middle East, Ahmadinejad's grandstanding and posturing—bordering on the inane and buffoonish—has not only been a source of embarrassment, but led to the growing isolation of the country. Relative to its neighbors, Iran is a relatively cosmopolitan people, and Ahmadinejad's boorishness must no doubt be a source of serious consternation to many in the country.

As I have mentioned in the past, these regimes have often distracted their people from the their own failings by blaming their lot on the West and Israel. One must wonder how long they can sustain this lie before it begins to crumble under the desire for more freedom and opportunities.

Photo credit: From the New York Daily News.

I'll have a coffee please

If the GOP is so moral, why are they promoting tea bagging?

GOP's Worst Nightmare

After years of portraying themselves as the party of the alpha male and the Dems as effete, whimpy wonks, the GOP clearly feels stymied.

For what they now face in the White House is a youthful, vigorous and energetic black male, who is not only smart but incredibly athletic as well, with street cred who is comfortable in basketball pickup games.

Driving the point home is the swift, decisive action that brought a close to the Somali pirate hostage situation. Regardless of whether the President deserves "credit" for the outcome, for now he is inexorably tied to the daring action of the Navy SEALS and U.S. military who took their action with his executive decision and under his watch.

And as the usual whiny, crybaby reaction of many in the GOP show, they can't even show class in the happy outcome and are positively flummoxed on how to deal with this president.

The New Face of the Republican Party

You know things are in a bad way for the Republican Party when they're taking advice from a horny plumber.

Though his 15 minutes ended several hours ago, several articles (see here and here) indicate that Joe the Plumber continues to capitalize on his behavior and apparently has been "talking strategy with conservative groups."

Not to put too fine a point on it, but given how out of touch and out of step the GOP has become, it doesn't seem that going to a white beer-drinking male for advice is going to help them modernize the party.

Nuff Said

Far be it from me to kick a man when he's down—or out of office and now a private citizen—but I thought I'd make this final comment of our newest former President.

While George W. Bush is notoriously averse to any regret or second-guessing, he was uncharacteristically wistful his last few weeks of office. (And also defensive.)

One recurring theme has been that he never moved past emergency response mode. The President said in his final press conference, "As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11, but I never did."

To me, these words provide a subtle but significant key to what went awry in his presidency. Bush felt that 9/11—and, by extension, the adventure in Iraq,—was his defining moment, indeed the destiny God had put him in office for. Yet, as the above quote suggests, he never moved beyond that, creating a "bunker mentality" that is reminiscent of Jimmy Carter who in similar fashion famously barricaded himself in the White House awaiting the release of the hostages in Iran. In this way, Carter's presidency was taken hostage by the Iran crisis.

Emotionally, it's clear that Bush too was taken hostage by 9/11 and Iraq, never able to attend to other crises that included Katrina and the looming financial meltdown

Nuff said.