DEMOCRATIC DILEMMA



It is so difficult being a Democrat. Although right on most of the issues, at least compared to the Bush misadministration, the Democrats do need backbone and cohesion.

They showed political cowardice in voting to authorize the Iraq war. As so many ordinary citizens did, most of them must have seen through the misleading hype by the Bush people. Now, they can't agree on an excuse. They do a poor job on court nominees and they fear a censure motion. Then, they chose political pander on the Dubai port issue when they could have decided to explain and support the deal, using the occasion to point out Bush’s failure to secure the ports and how his actions have so dramatically alienated the Muslim world.

And where is the leader who can fashion and articulate a coherent message? The most prominent, Hillary, is busy sounding more conservative and hasn’t led the charge. She may well be the best candidate for ’08, but her electability is questioned. Unless some one of the current contenders steps up, the party might do well to turn to a new face. As Maureen Dowd suggests in today’s NY Times column, that person may be Senator Barack Obama.

DEMOCRATIC DILEMMA



It is so difficult being a Democrat. Although right on most of the issues, at least compared to the Bush misadministration, the Democrats do need backbone and cohesion.

They showed political cowardice in voting to authorize the Iraq war. As so many ordinary citizens did, most of them must have seen through the misleading hype by the Bush people. Now, they can't agree on an excuse. They do a poor job on court nominees and they fear a censure motion. Then, they chose political pander on the Dubai port issue when they could have decided to explain and support the deal, using the occasion to point out Bush’s failure to secure the ports and how his actions have so dramatically alienated the Muslim world.

And where is the leader who can fashion and articulate a coherent message? The most prominent, Hillary, is busy sounding more conservative and hasn’t led the charge. She may well be the best candidate for ’08, but her electability is questioned. Unless someone of the current contenders steps up, the party might do well to a new face. As Maureen Dowd suggests in today’s column, may be Senator Barack Obama.

SUB-ROSA NEWS

Some of the News
That may be True

News Item: Claude A. Allen, who resigned last month as a top domestic policy adviser to President Bush, was arrested this week in Montgomery County for allegedly swindling Target and Hecht's stores out of more than $5,000 in a fraudulent refund scheme.

Comment: When Mr. Allen resigned he said it was because he wanted to spend more time with his family. Let's hope that that his family is not in a jail somewhere. In a statement released last Thursday, Mr. Allen's attorney denied that there was any truth to the rumor that Allen would testify that the refund plan was authorized by his superiors.