Leadership is Lacking

Will someone please take charge?

Democrats seem to know how to take charge, but they don’t know what to do. Republicans know what to do, but don't know how to take charge. We saw that here in San Diego with (soon-to-be-former) Mayor Dick Murphy, smart, competent…nice guy. Too nice…now the former Mayor. He KNEW the city was going right off the cliff, but he would not take charge. He would rather face resignation, than action. Good Republican.

The best argument for the approval of the judicial Bush nominees and John Bolton is that the President should get his choices when his party has majorities in both Houses. Absent fraud, of course, as in Abe Fortas…I even think Judge Bork should have been approved, though I disagree with many of his authoritarian views, which are most of his views.

To deny the President his nominees for ANYTHING unless the nominee is crazy as a bedbug, or undeniably criminal, is to exercise the Tyranny of the Minority.

I note, for example, the approval of Janet Reno, Robert Reich, Madeliene Albright and any number of even lesser lights. (O.K. – Ill give you Robert Rubin…the exception that tests the rule…)

With the exception of Rubin, none came with any C.V. worthy of note.

In the Republican Decades in the Wilderness, they never resorted to blocking nominees…they, under the wing of their Eastern Aristocracy, got along by going along. Being mostly blue-bloods, they sought invitations to the best parties rather than getting down and dirty with the ruling Democrats – and I do mean ruling. "Fort Worth" Jim Wright could ram things through with the best of them…ditto Tip O’Neil and Tom Foley. It is true that they did not usually ram it down the Republican throats, but only because the Republicans were so compliant.

It was only after the Republican Party was taken over by the less genteel Southern and Western wings of the Party that they actually formed an Opposition Party – and have subsequently become the dominant Party by playing hardball.

The Democrats are accustomed to ruling, and if they cannot rule from the position of the majority they will do so from the minority position.

The Republicans have no clue how to rule…they have no experience, and they have the left-over Olympia Snow, Lincoln Chaffey and others who just want to get along with the Democrats. Newt was the last Republican leader of any note…and yes he had personal flaws but they hardly rise to the well-defended Clinton.

The Democrats don’t want to get along, as did the Republicans of old…they want to rule.
Bill Frist had better crack the whip soon and run the show or it will run him. We will shortly learn if he has the "fire in the belly." The House of Representatives did away with the filibuster in the late 1800s without the Republic falling. The Senate can do the same and the Republic will again survive.

Put it all up to vote and let the chips fall…and if some Republicans must fall, so be it. The Republicans have the tide of history on their side…

But the Republicans are far too timid…It is a good thing that Democrats have started most of our wars or we might have lost half a dozen or so if left to the flaccid Republicans…