Sir;...Glimmers my pattoot... Even slimey puke has more shine in the pale light of a dim street lamp than the hope of the republican party...The same thing that re-elected George Bush the lesser will re-elect and elect more democrats...That is the near total inability of most people to admit a mistake even when it is staring them in the face...Not to say the democrats are more of a mistake than the republicans; but the republicans do not happen to have been the mistake people last made... Some people will not ever admit to Mr Bush as a mistake...Some people will always follow the republicans down the road to ruin... The ability of the population to make mistakes, and follow them up with still larger mistakes is the stuff of legend...It could be that we are running out of time for mistakes, and will have to play the game very skillfully to survive...Maybe the time for old solutions to long term problems is behind us..I just think there are enough people who are fully aware of the republican mistake that have been made that have robbed us of our wealth, liberty and security, and will not have them in power for some time without some very good reason...So look for glimmers...It will take some powerful shine to mean anything, and that is a long ways off for republicans...Thanks...Sweeney

Pat...I love your columns and books but your analasys of the state of the Republican party is completely off base. Not only in this column but even with your sit ins on MSNBC. The 2012 election is up to Obama to win or lose. Unlike the last election, we will be able to judge him on his policies and his leadership abilities.

The Republican party is a headless chicken and there is no one with the vision or charisma to organize any type of challenge to the presidential election. They do have the ability to winning a few states if the stimulus fails in 2010.

This is also part of the ebb and flow of American politics. You being a student of history know that this country pulls in the opposite direction every 35 years or so. FDR was the start of the last move to the left then came the assendance of Reagan which moved us to the right and now we again are shifting left.