[Sabertooth]

1998 was the year of the Impeachment.

I think aggravated Rats signed on at that time with the intention of reappearing if Impeachment was successful, or failing that, if later there were a Republican president. They didn't know for sure, but planned on the contingency.

Tinfoil.

Dissent happens.

In my everyday life, I run across many people, most of whom are either centrist Republicans or centrist conservatives.

There is no way that these people are representative of conservatives.

The reason pollsters do business is because none of us have an everyday life that is an accurate representative sample.

For example, in my everyday life, I never meet anyone, regardless of how die-hard a Republican they may be, regardless of how certain their vote for President Bush this November is, who refuses to discuss his shortcomings and changes the subject from them at every opportunity.

Yet, I know such people exist, because I've seen them posting on Free Republic, so I haven't indulged the conceit that they must all be plants, simply because such people are outside my everyday experience.

[Miss Marple]

I don't think all of the dissenters are plants.

But it is hard to believe that a whole bunch of conservatives signed up in 1998 and then for some reason only post during elections.

What...don't these people care about government at any other time?

Plus, moderators will tell you that there have indeed been sleeper accounts here. Just ask them.