catco, I agree except that I don't see that as being the fault of the politicians. I see that as being a fault of an American public which wants to be able to watch short political blurbs on tv in order to find the candidate they believe in. Bush played the part of the innocent who was SOOO innocent that he wouldn't even respond to the naughty things being said about him, and people ate it up.

He'd attack Gore with accusations that no one saw coming, because they had no basis in fact, and people would have gut reactions to it which they NEVER troubled to even check on. And they wouldn't believe anyone who tried to explain it, because baby boy bush had spoken.

And I greatly blame myself and those like me who hold a Centrist or Moderate position. We held to the notion that we'd listen to both sides and that we'd try to be reasonable. Did we approve of abortion? Certainly not. Did we know that if we didn't somehow find a way for abortion to be legalized, that young women and babies would be dying in gruesome and illegal abortions? Yes.

So why didn't we find something different, instead of agreeing to abortion? Why didn't we fund something that would give the pregnant child or woman a safe home for the months she is having a baby, protect her from those who she fears, make it possible for her to work or to continue school, and help to find good homes for the babies or help the new mothers to get a good start on motherhood themselves?

Well, we voted for abortion because we thought it was the first necessary step, and that Americans opposed to it would find other (far better) steps that would make it unnecessary (maybe even make the question go away). But instead of doing that, the far right simply screams about the immorality of it.

And we moderates simply sit here saying, "Look, I hear you. But the alternative of having a young woman be held down screaming while her boyfriend performs an abortion that could destroy her ability to have children, isn't better." Having been one of those people, I say ... it wasn't better!

But I am ashamed that I have held to being moderate to the point of being voiceless. I am ashamed of being moderate when being moderate has come to mean that we just don't want to argue politics. Oh, ick. Politics.

Blame the Dems and the Repubs if you will. But we choose to vote on people dependent upon our gut feeling instead of our brains. I blame Americans.