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I wasn't sure if this was the correct forum to post this on. Apologies if I made a mistake.

In all my adult life, some 30 years, the Republicans have NEVER pulled "too much or for too long".

NEVER. And it it is about time they did.

Though as you can tell from my response to BenLurkin, I don't agree with everything you said, I agree with and thank you for making the main point, i.e. that the divisiveness needs to come to an end and we need to find a way once again be "one nation, indivisible." I am very troubled by the clear escalation of hostilities here at home that we've witnessed this year.

Quite honestly, though I respect him in many ways, I'm disappointed in President Bush for exacerbating the problem by pandering to religious extremists (and I mean extremists, as opposed to moderate Christians like myself, many of whom are turned off by the likes of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson). President Bush has given good lip service to being a uniter instead of a divider, but his actions in many instances have said otherwise. On this point history will be the judge as to how he conducts himself in his second term, not having to worry about being re-elected. I dearly hope he does the right thing not just according to his own conscience, but also according to the will of *all* of the people, not just those who voted for him.

I realize that it may be politically incorrect to say this here, but that never stopped me from calling it like I see it, and in my book, the president gets several points off so far for failing to be a president most people can manage to respect, at least moderately. The fact that he is so clearly disliked by so many democrats, not just the extremely liberal ones but the moderate ones as well, makes it hard for me to dismiss the feeling that he really doesn't care all that much what Americans who don't share his views want, and that makes him president of only some of the people instead of all of the people.

Loyalty to the president is important, but I can't in good conscience be blindly loyal. Neither am I disingenuous enough to blast liberals for the slightest perceived slight, as so many in this forum do, while President Bush fails to walk his talk and take clear steps to bring us all together. I hold all presidents accountable on this point, no more, and no less.

Of course, YMMV (Your mileage may vary.)

Polygirl

Here's the problem we're all guilty of.
We've allowed the media and the sudo-intellectuals to label each other as African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans(That one floors me since if we were born here we're native Americans) White, Asiatics, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Neocons, right wing, left wing, gays(another one that floors me; definition of gay is happy, last time I looked) Christian Right(not all rights are Christian) rich,poor, last but not least,"politically correct". You could go on and on. The Media,Academic Community,Hollywood,the entertainment community, the ACLU, lawyers,politicans are perpetuating a division. They love it! You hear every day that we're a nation divided. They salivate. Until we recognize that we are all Americans,we'll have a serious problem. If we don't stand together,we'll fall together for a nation divided cannot stand. Incidentally, Since there are those among us who want to see that happen, It's important that we have a dialog with those between the extremes or we're doomed to be a third world country. A talk host by the name of Bob Grant may have it right, when he says the country is sick and getting sicker.(sad,true observation.) The cure rest with all of us . We're all Americans and should be proud of it. Stop the label crap! That's where we should begin! I'm tired of this politically correct stuff!What say you?

Many thought-provoking points have been made here -- some I agree with and others I don't.

I don't recall that our country was ever so divided until the democrats lost power in Congress in 1994(?). Having been the majority for 30 years, they were extremely angry and determined to regain their majority. What followed was the most vitriolic politics in recent history.

As someone already listed here, it was the democrats who pitted the poor against the rich, the old against the young, the blacks against the whites, etc. Personal attacks against republicans were constant and didn't have to be based on facts, because the main stream media would support them.

It was democrats who promoted the world view that Bush was a simpleton, a cowboy who had stolen the election in Florida. For four loooong years, the headlines in France, England, et al, repeated the democrats' talking points. So if we don't appear to be as respected around the world as we once were, is it any wonder?

As for having a gay marriage amendment, this would not have been necessary were it not for activist judges who had no legal grounds to promote their personal agendas.

For the sake of brevity, I won't elaborate unless someone wishes to debate further.

As for the admonition that President Bush is not representing all of the people, Lincoln had it right. You can please some of the people all of the time. You can please all of the people some of the time --- but you can never please all of the people all of the time.

The center starts with America first, and her Allies who are not on the axis of evils side, nor willing to parley with them, in the sense of lowering the standard of our God given Liberty.

To have the freedom of choice one needs to understand the
basis of this great country, Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

In a moslem world, only Moslem men have these rights, women,
children and those who do not follow the Moslem faith, cannot be considered equals.

In a communist world, the government rules what ideology's can or cannot be talked about.

In conclusion, to be free is to be able to live the credo of the USA, LIfe Liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and negotiate with lesser dictates, is selling out on our God Given Rights, and our obligation to spread this good news for modern man.

Ops4 God Bless America

If two people have different understandings on how to genuinely benefit their children--that's one thing. If someone spews speech on how to kill children, and hook the simple into sodomy and disease, they don't merely have a 'different opinion'--they are doing treason. Part of the poison of the speech of those who are treasonous is to make it seem a kind of automatic etiquette of 'neutrality' or 'moderation' or 'centrism' to --no matter what is said --no matter how heinous or evil--merely automatically congratulate any speech spoken over any length of time through any other person whatsoever as being indicative of that person representing something legitimate as 'being a person of conviction' and 'sticking with their guns'. In doing this they attempt to give death a seat at the table of civilization on an 'equal' footing with life--just for "balance". Just because the country was deceived for a time and went to sleep and accepted death as an 'equal' with life in gov't doesn't mean death is really okay or nice or gets an 'equal' say or any say in what gov't is or does. These last few decades will be denounced as dark ages of American history (because of the mass killing of infants and the spread of sodomy among other things) by those of the future and rightfully so.

Think traitors don't know when their day is over?

2 Samuel 17:23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen

If two people have different understandings on how to genuinely benefit their children--that's one thing. If someone spews speech on how to kill children, and hook the simple into sodomy and disease, they don't merely have a 'different opinion'--they are doing treason. Part of the poison of the speech of those who are treasonous is to make it seem a kind of automatic etiquette of 'neutrality' or 'moderation' or 'centrism' to --no matter what is said --no matter how heinous or evil--merely automatically congratulate any speech spoken over any length of time through any other person whatsoever as being indicative of that person representing something legitimate as 'being a person of conviction' and 'sticking with their guns'. In doing this they attempt to give death a seat at the table of civilization on an 'equal' footing with life--just for "balance". Just because the country was deceived for a time and went to sleep and accepted death as an 'equal' with life in gov't doesn't mean death is really okay or nice or gets an 'equal' say or any say in what gov't is or does. These last few decades will be denounced as dark ages of American history (because of the mass killing of infants and the spread of sodomy among other things) by those of the future and rightfully so.

Think traitors don't know when their day is over?

2 Samuel 17:23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen

"A large part of the greatness of this Country has always been our ability, and willingness, to 'see' the other guy's point of view."

Close, but not quite.

No, on second thought, it's not even close.

It is easy to "see" the other guy's point of view--Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, bin Laden, for example, but that has nothing to do with greatness.

Greatness comes from the ability to to evaluate and understand that point of view and to accept it, reject it, tolerate it, or oppose it.

It's easy to understand Hitler's point of view, for example. He wanted to murder everybody he didn't like, including handicapped people, and to get them out of his way. He made his intentions clear and his plans known from the beginning. His point of view was not difficult to understand--though many people found it difficult to believe that he meant what he was saying, and the world paid a costly price for their folly.

The rest of these monsters are similar. There's nothing difficult to understand about their points of view.

Bin Laden's is quite clear and easy to understand.

And it doesn't require greatness to reject their points of view.

Greatness is having the courage, moral clarity, and self-confidence to oppose such a monster and his point of view.

Greatness is Todd Beamer and the other passengers taking action!

Greatness is Winston Churchill opposing Hitler and denouncing the cowardly and morally vacuous appeasement attempts of Chamberlain.

Greatness is the Americans--most of them under the age of 21--storming the beaches of Normandie--walking into machine gun fire.

Greatness is George Bush standing up to terrorists and the morally vacuous appeasers of the world!