Thanks for the support.
Yes, it's frustrating to have to contend with this delusional anti-Bush tripe all the time on FR but I ignore the bulk of it or I couldn't enjoy the forum at all. As I said in my origianl post on this thread, the O'Reilly story was pure slander with no basis in fact. Just a smear and the anti-Bush people ate it up, as you might expect.
I would remind you - as I remind myself when seeing this kind of blather here on FR - that these hysterical, angry and sometimes just plain loony anti-Bush folks are a tiny minority compared to the vast majority of average Americans who support President Bush. His enemies are on the left and the far, far right but unfortunately, the left has the media to trumpet it's bile and lots of well-placed politicians like Tom Daschle to obstruct Bush administration policies. The far, far right has FR.
In a nice touch of irony, the anti-Bush people swear that the pro-Bush forces are 'taking over' Free Republic when we feel just the opposite. As I said, ironic and almost amusing.
When your blood pressure goes up with these I-hate-Bush rants remember that you're seeing the outer fringe of American politics. For what little it's worth, they really believe a lot of the nonsense about Bushs' secret agenda and all that fantasy-land stuff. To some of them, the world is a vast conspiracy out to destroy them (and the Free World) but they have caught on to it (they read a book that explained it all to them) and they won't be fooled, no siree. Sigh.
The arrogance and self-satisfaction is also evident with the typical name-calling and sneering broadsides at anyone who dares to (a): support President Bush and (b): tell them they might be wrong about something. Of course, both camps engage in this behavior to a point but the snarling name-calling from the anti-Bush people can be vicious. Fortunately, Jim Robinson installed a moderator system on FR and you can see why.
Of course to these conspiracy-is-everywhere types G.W. Bush is just red meat. From a wealthy, politically-connected eastern family, Yale-educated and to the left of Pat Buchanan automatically makes George W. Bush 'a pawn' in the great scheme of elitist plots to destroy America and usurp our precious bodily fluids or some such delusion. It's sad, but these types have been around forever, only the names change with the decades and the object of scorn changes as a new president is elected. Republican presidents are a special target, even Ronald Reagan was never quite 'conservative' enough for some, back in the eighties. That far right criticism has been mostly forgotten now, which is typical.
Rational debate is pretty much impossible with the anti-Bush folks, as you've already noticed. It quickly degenerates into loony charges, long lists of Bush 'crimes' you are demanded to respond to (for the thousandth time) and name-calling as soon as you push back a bit. Not very rewarding. Still, my feeling is that we have to make some response to these folks or they just keep it up and it does infuriate me to see lies and nutty statements posted about the President with no rebuttal forthcoming, so I give it a shot once in awhile.
No one ever 'wins' or 'loses' as no one ever changes position in these 'debates'. So be it. The exchanges are still useful to the newbies and who knows that some misguided soul might actually be persuaded by something you or I may post?
Thanks again for your support. Made my day.