In truth, I think they're doing just fine. Over the years they have developed a set of strategies which have served them well. Their mantras of "stay the course", "no retreat", "withdrawal is surrender" and "don't talk with tyrants (like Pelosi, Reid and Obama)" are bearing fruit. Very much like some segments of Christianity, they thrive of persecution and martyrdom.

I've wanted to post something with that subject line ever since the plethora of "What Democrats need to do" posts while the Democrats were sorting it out in the presidential primaries. Unlike the monolithic Republicans who could march easily to Limbaugh's backbeat, the Democrats were all over the parade ground, no one telling them how and what to think, lots of variety and diversity all competing for attention. It looked like anarchy compared to the Republican lockstep past the Cheney-Bush-Rice reviewing stand.

And while that process was giving birth to a party which would appeal to more Americans than any before the Conservatives around here were comfortable trying to give Democrats advice on how to be more like them. It was as if not having feedback to the political leadership was a good thing.

For the first time I can remember, the Republican Party and I are both satisfied with what it's doing. Which seems to be a carefully considered, well thought out, perfectly planned suicide.

Now, I know they won't do that. They enjoy power and the ability to loot too much to give it up. So, just as the reasons to invade Iraq changed from get Saddam to keeping nuclear weapons from detonating in New York to keeping biological warfare crop dusters out of North Carolina to democracy to stability to just plain hold it together until we can turn it over to Democrats, they will metamorphose into something with appeal to the baser instincts of Americans. Their base will follow as sheep, comfortable in the knowledge that their thinking has been done for them.

And their stated agenda will still be just exactly the opposite of what they are really after.

Arf