There is obviously a broad spectrum of political belief. I try to be as specific as possible, separating the terms "liberal," "leftist," "Marxist," "libertarian," "conservative," "Right-winger," and the like, but it isn't easy, and some mushing together is inevitable. When I use the term "Left," I am discussing the more radical end of the spectrum, which encompasses much of the leadership of the modern Democratic Party, much of academia, a lot of Hollywood, most environmental leaders, much of the media, and others. Unfortunately, this comprises a great deal of the cultural and political influence in our country. If all the looney left were confined to web pages in their basements, which is where most of the looney right is stuck, it wouldn't be an issue.

Most people in America hover somewhere in the political middle, assuming they give much thought to political philosophy at all. They move from one end to the other depending on how it gores their particular ox. I dare say most people vote for their local representatives based on their performance for their community a lot more than the philosophy of the party's leaders. And while I could easily predict the position on any subject for stone leftists like Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore, or Ted Kennedy, this would not be true for most Americans.

I have run into people who think the government should provide our medical care who enthusiastically support what we did in Iraq. As Al Gore found, being liberal and pro-Democrat on some issues does not automatically mean being anti-gun. Even here on this board, most of us don't easily plug into one end or the other of the spectrum. All the "one-note" types hang out in places like Democrats.com and talk to each other.

Heck, my own positions on drugs and some other things would probably get me booted out of a Republican caucus meeting.

If there is some question about my definitions, or if you feel I've drifted too far off the beam in describing the positions of someone, feel free to poke me on it on a case-by-case basis.