I, like you, attended college during the heady days of the 60's. Of course I didn't go to a school with the glamour of Berkley, rather I went to Ball State along with Dave Letterman. Even so, we had our anti-Viet Nam war demonstations and I registered as a democrat. But since I got married, had children, grandchildren, mortgages, car payments, worked and retired, I find myself voting for conservatives, as I am conservative. I'm a junior league Zell Miller, I still say I'm a democrat, have been for too long, but I vote republican.

Yep. I keep wondering what the Democrats' plan is. There's no baby boom with a panoply of interesting drugs available coming up to swell the Dem ranks. The situation in Iraq has its problems but is nowhere near the difficulties of Vietnam. The NSA wiretaps don't compare at all with Nixon's personal dirty tricks against his opponents. Yet Democrats keep working straight out of their 1973 playbook. Talk about fighting the last war...

If they showed sense, if they treated Bush--our president in time of war--with some respect, as well as criticism, and not written off everyone who voted for Bush as mental or moral midgets, I would be inclined to listen. Conceivably they could get my vote back. But instead they just become more shrill and abusive by the day.

"What is essential to know is that every person--Republican or Democrat--who has been briefed on the NSA program supports it."

And virtually every person supports sex, yet the Republican Party supported impeachment of Clinton. Oh but wait a minute, it's all about the "Rule of Law" isn't it?

And that even the President isn't above the law, right?

The vast majority of legal scholars, and not just liberal ones, say that operating outside of FISA is AGAINST THE LAW. The Justice Depts. own internal counsel had to be overruled to find an opinion the White House could use.

So were Republicans hypocrites during Clinton's impeachment or are they hypocrites now? You can't have it both ways.

No matter how disgusted I get with Republicans over issues like the ports, all that spending, etc., the Democrats offer nothing to get my vote. I'll vote a straight Republican ticket in November.

Ed you are wrong. Legal Scholars are split on this one. All applicable court precedent is on the presidents side.

If you have some vast majority of legal scholars who claim this program is illegal I would love to see a list and transcripts of the debates they have had with those on the other side of the issue.

I wont hold my breath.

Legal scholars?

Aren't these the same group that have just been reamed 8-0 in the Solomon verdict?

Pretty bad when Ginsburg votes against her blood. Now tell me how much credibility they have left.

The truth of these observations is what concerns me greatly. The loonier the left becomes, the more monolithic the right becomes. We approach a situation in which independent-minded conservatives like John McCain and moderate conservatives like Christy Whitman have to fight for their political lives.

Without a credible Left, the Right can descend into tyranny. So I hope somebody can remember what the Democrats are supposed to be good at, and divorce them from Hollywood, or else cheating on FISA will be the least of our problems.

As it stands, Republicans are already the War Party, and the only answer to Katrina has been send in more troops earlier...

I'm another 9/11 Republican who keeps looking for a reason to go back to my old ways. I can't find it. Where are the Truman and Scoop Jackson Democrats? I can think of one: Lieberman.

What a hopeless bunch.

Ditto to Marc Schulman and to the original posting. Liberal no more, even though my children think I'm nuts.

And maybe this Censure move has legs despite Ken Mehlman and Rush's bravado. The people are for it:

http://americanresearchgroup.com/

To Ed:

Please see above: mbowen makes a very crucial point. The health of the Republic depends on a two-party system where useful and helpful ideas emanate from both sides of the political spectrum. When moderates on the left are silenced as they are now by the lunatic fringe (MoveOn, et. al) the right side is where many reasonable people flee for sanity and safety. A good example is the perception, repeat, perception (only) that the far left is more sympathetic to muslim terrorists than they are to their own President. Bush has many flaws, no doubt, but he is the President of the United States and when far lefties appear to be siding with the enemy it creates a certain impression. Can you explain why so much of the country does not trust the Democrats? and please don't give me the usual Rush, Hannity, Fox News, conservative blogs, Columbia University J school explanation. By the way, I voted for McGovern, Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Bubba. But that's where my relationship with the Democrats ended. Since 2000 I've been driven away like millions of others. Can you account for this other than mass insanity and the vast right wing conspiracy?

Amen, Chester!

I would like to be a Democrat again or at least be able to consider its candidates and its issues as viable alternatives. But it looks like that won't be a possibility until 2012.

Ed -- What good exactly does censuring Bush do?

From what I've read the legality of the NSA wiretapping can be argued both ways, nor is it something that strikes ordinary Americans, when asked specifically, as a horrifying violation of our rights.

I do guarantee you that an attempt to censure Bush on this is going to look to many Americans, myself included, like more Bush-hating jihad from Kos-style Democrats, while our nations is fighting a real anti-American jihad from al-Qaeda. These Democrats had better have a great explanation for how they really have the best interests of our country at heart.