Are Democrats too gentle, too thoughtful, too chicken to govern.

Editor’s Note: This is a personal, political rant. If you are at all squeamish or a Republican, DO NOT READ THIS! If you are conservative, but open minded, you could attempt to read it, but I’m telling you now you won’t be happy. On the other hand, there is no foul language.

Republicans don’t seem to have any difficulty slamming the Democrats. They don’t seem to have any problem with working the story to their advantage. Shouting at the President in Congress.

Do you remember Weapons of Mass Destruction? Cheney is still claiming Bush didn’t lie. Have you ever heard a more bitter, unrepentant, former Vice-President? We didn’t need torture to beat the Germans or the Japanese. But we needed it, in Cheney’s view, to beat a group of religious maniacs based in caves in the most God-forsaken part of the world. Is it his legacy or Bush’s he is trying to justify? Who, exactly, was the last Republican President?

The Republican theory seems to be if you say something over and over again, regardless of its bearing to the truth or how hateful it is, people will come to accept it as true. I think they may be correct on that score.

Let’s reflect for a moment on “Mission Accomplished”! The same crew that told us the war in Iraq would take minutes to complete, the citizens of Iraq would be so grateful to us they would give us free oil and their free oil would pay for the war, are still advising the Republicans, right Mr. Kristol? They just say, given what we knew at the time… They apparently didn’t know much then. What makes people think they know anything today?

Remember too, Republicans are the Party of fiscal conservatism. Did Bush balance the Federal budget? Did Reagan? That’s right, poor old Clinton did, when he wasn’t busy with other opportunities. Reagan’s budget deficit was a higher percentage of GDP than Obama’s will be and Obama faced a depression. But Reagan is put up to school children in textbooks in Texas as the God of fiscal conservatism.

And that potential depression, was it brought on by, you guessed it, a Republican administration? Larry the Cable Guy knew, as President, all he had to do was cut taxes on the wealthy. How did that work out for everyone else, Mrs. Palin?

Didn’t all the Republicans vote for the Stimulus Package? Haven’t they all accepted the money in their states and appeared at the check passing ceremonies. Can one really have one’s cake and eat it too? If a hypocrite yells long enough, does that make him less of a hypocrite?

Cheney says we shouldn’t have treated the Christmas Day potential underwear bomber/complete idiot the way we did. But he treated the shoe bomber exactly the same way. Shouldn’t someone point that out to him. Oh, he knows? He’s just trying to make some political points. Is the Christmas Day guy talking to beat the band? Yes. Did anyone torture him? No. They brought his family over from Nigeria to talk to him.

How many terrorists did we try in Federal Courts that resulted in convictions during the last Republican Administration: the guy who headed up the first World Trade Center bombing and dozens of others. Does our justice system work? Apparently. Why shouldn’t we again demonstrate that to the world?

Democrats have a majority in both houses of Congress and the Oval Office. They should pass health care and any other damned bill they think would be good for the country. I say to Hell with bipartisanship! I don’t hear a single Republican in Congress asking for bi-partisanship. It’s their way or the highway!

Several Democrats are retiring because they hate the tone in Congress. As far as I can tell the only loud tone being set in Washington is by the likes of Sarah Palin, Anne Coulter and the Teabaggers and their Congressional followers. Why can’t Democrats give as good as they get?

I think Democrats need to stand up! I’m told the middle class is concerned about the effort to gain health care insurance for all and the federal deficits. May I remind you that the only reason we have a middle class in America today is because of FDR, who was, of course, a Democrat. A guy who faced just as determined a group of lunatic, 19th century Know Nothings as we face today. But he got the job done.

Strangely, I feel better. I think I’ll write something simple on my hand.