George,

The Republican Party was seized long ago by the far right. More middle of the road Republicans rightly surmised that the energy and attention generated by the far Right's loyalty, zeal and passion would wear away moderate Democrats and successfully alienate the public from the Democratic Party. The Republican Party is not the party of the rich, but the party of the impassioned, with the rich riding neatly and now unabashedly on thir coat tails. In order to defend themselves the Republicans are almost never honest but rely upon the fervor generated by fear mongering and right-wing zeal (does Bush honestly care about gay marriage - he scampers to the religious right whenever he can because they give him the opportunity to be passionate rather than calculating and medievel).

All of which to say, that if the Democratic Party is not seized by the far left it will evaporate or, more appropriately, acquiesce to the will of the Republican Party at every turn. Any member of the Democratic Party who cannot see the need for passion in our ranks, must be blind. Passion comes from those seeking the greatest change. They step forward with the most courage because they have the least to lose. One need only turn to ratings on television to see what attracts the attention of the average voter - it is the same thing that attracts the American viewer to Survivior. Passion and bravery. Read Shakespeare's Henry the Fifth if one needs a more detailed analysis of how this works as it chronicles how a great English King took his country from the heels of recession and decay to an unexpected victory on the battlefields of France.

Our only choice in this war is to be violent in its opposition. To call attention again and again and again and again to the host of lies that have been perpetrated upon the public sector to justify it. To call attention to the unabashed sonnections between Irag Oil and our Vice -President's own company Haliburton, to call attention on the lack of prosecution of American traitors - forget Saddam Hussein - where's Kenneth Lay - he is a murderous an ex-dictator as they come for his crimes result in the loss of life.

One thing more. If there is anything in eveidence from the President's fisrt four years in office it is this - he does not know how to defend himself when hard questions are put to him. He vanishes like a ghost whenever difficult pronouncements must be made because he simply says the wrong things. If we do not embrace an impassioned voice then we give others no one to follow in a time when many are desperate and scared.

Someone must cry that "The Emperor has no clothes!" . This Emperor is in complete possession of his faculties that he is walking naked before the American people and he enjoys the cowardice of his opponents. He is living long on the wake of September 11th and is allowing the cloud of smoke from it that is still settling to obscure what will be seen as his destruction of a Democracy.

Hamilton Clancy (electronic mail, August 3, 2003)