"... with an independent, even quirky streak."

Usually I try not to post overtly political content here, reserving it for one of the many other forums I have available to me for expressing those opinions. But today I noticed that Supreme Court Justice David Souter has announced his retirement from the bench, and coming on the heels of Arlene Specter's announcement that he was leaving the Republican party, I just felt the urge to comment.

One of the news articles described Souter as "a typical old-fashioned Yankee Republican — a moderate, with an independent, even quirky streak." This was something I always admired about Souter -- and about New England Republicans like Elliott Richardson, Olympia Snow, even the first President Bush (who appointed Souter in the first place). They were individuals of principle, and even though our opinions might differ, we could still engage in intelligent and mutually illuminating conversation, rather than simply being subjugated to a lot of opinionated hot air (washed down with a lot more "ditto, Rush"). That old Republican party (as many have observed) is now endangered and all but extinct, while the loud-mouthed, short-sighted, half-witted beast that has evolved to take its place literally scares the Bejeezus out of me.

It's hard to say precisely when those old fashioned Republicans lost sway. Some would say it happened with Sarah Palin, while others might look all the way back to Colin Powell's willingness to carry water on the "intelligence" for going to war in Iraq. But personally, I think the Harriet Miers nomination represents some sort of ideological "tipping point of no return." Not only did it reveal how badly the last Administration was out of touch with the rest of the country (and the world!), it suggested how badly they were out of touch with reality itself. Fortunately, the grown-ups showed up, cooler heads prevailed, and the meltdown was averted for the moment.

Everything changed with the election of 2008 -- regardless of which "side" you were on. Karl Rove's "permanent Republican majority" now appears to be mostly a small group of heavily-armed and delusionally-paranoid white males ready to shoot it out with cops (or anyone else who gets in their way) at the smallest provocation. The right-wing talk-radio echo-chamber is filled with blather about "coup, succession, or armed rebellion," not to mention doubts about the President's citizenship and such. Anne Coulter is being Anne Coulter. Who could of dreamed of a Republican party where NEWT GINGRICH was the moderate, responsible voice? It's all just too much to ponder....

And yet ponder it I do. Ponder and pray....