[Maelstrom]

The entire point is that Liberal Republicans in office do not represent small beginnings for conservatives.

Use your memory or do some research.

What I despise is delusion.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Actually, Slade Gorton, as liberal a Republican as there has ever been (west coast Arlen Spector), provided a critical vote for both Reagan's 1981 tax cut, and for the defense-appropriations acts in the early to mid 1980's. He also was instrumental in helping Bob Dole beat back Hillary-care in the Senate in 1994.

Rudy Giulianni did yeoman's work in beefing up the police force and dropping the crime rates in New York City.

Even jumping Jim Jeffords and Olympia Snowe provided Bush with critical votes needed for his tax cut package -- part of the pre-jump deal.

Bush I got support for the first Gulf War vote from folks like Lugar and Spector.

The Pershing II missiles would never have been placed in Europe -- would never have even made it into the budget -- in the early 80's without the support of liberal Republicans like Dan Evans, Slade Gorton, John McCain, and quite a few others.

The list is endless. So, I guess I've used my memory and done some research there. When you have people who you can at least talk to, there are deals that can be done.

If you despise delusion so much, you should really check out the number of doctrinaire conservatives that are holding statewide offices on the west coast. What is delusion is thinking that something that works in Utah or Alabama will work everywhere.