Ken, the two party system –not to mention the republic itself –is designed around the citizen’s commitment to accept an elefction loss and go ahead and support the office even when an oppon politician occupies it. The idea is to go back to work and try again next election. For most of two & a half centuries, that’s how we’ve always tried to do it, and by and large it has served the nation well.

But yes, the democrats have effectively ruined the custom of the “loyal opposition” –but then again we ourselves could have looked the other way on Bill Clinton’s scandals –and then maybe the dems would not have felt they had the right to trash GWB 24/7x8yrs. But Clinton of course should not have been so outrageous –pushing the envelope was his choice –and we figured if Nixon could go down over an absent-minded (until a suddenly rabid media made it instantly too serious to try to back out) coverup of a third-rate political shenanigan, then why should we ignore the long, long stream of crookery beginning with Travelgate almost as soon as the term began. What was so wrong with Travelgate? The deliberate ruin of an innocent named Billy Dale, in order to toss some gov’t cash to some pals in the travel biz. Billy Dale –famously aquitted in 20 minutes, was it, by a jury who saw the ugly affair very clearly.

Anyhow, I agree with you and will follow you into the Red Dawn hills if these birds go where I’m afraid they might go –but –let’s try to remember the system can’t work (even without Reds sneaking into it) without the deliberate and dedicated forbearance of the out-party –and there’s always an out-party.