George,

I am not a fan of boxing, but I do know that one of the fundamentals of this barbaric "sport" is to weaken the opponent to the point where he, and now she, is "on the ropes," so weakened as to no longer be effective. Easily defeated.

That cliché is now in regular use regarding the present condition of the Republican Party in the US; almost daily another scandal: from the governor's office in Ohio to the leader of the GOP controlled Senate and of course, Representative DeLay.

The sheer numbers of greed, corruption and malfeasance in the GOP, from the White House to the State House is almost difficult to comprehend.

Unfortunately, the loyal opposition is more involved in discussing the merit of the questionable quality of the "rope" than the victim hanging on to it for survival.

It is virtually impossible to read citizen's letters to the media where the word "spineless" or "spinelessness" as it applies to the Democrats, is not used as a noun or adjective.

I am unable to understand the lack of courage or even opportunism from those who should be seizing the moment, when the opposition has been so weakened.

Oblivious comes to mind.

Has the desire to maintain the office or ambition silenced, with rare exception, those who should be more concerned about our Nation than protecting their political skin?

Hary Tenney (electronic mail, October 1, 2005)