Republican allies of convenience

[Tom Rinaldo]

33. I have come to believe that we need responsible adversaries

I don't disagree with what you wrote although I'm not totally sure about Nicole Wallace. I would not be shocked if she is evolving into becoming a true Democrat.

Why do we need responsible adversaries? Because virtually nowhere has human nature every coalesced around one set of universal values and priorities, beyond near full agreement of some basics such as; "Murder is wrong." Some people tend to view change as offering opportunities, others see it as presenting threats. Some people stress the role of the individual foremost, others the role of the community. Some think peace is best secured through strength, others through love etc. These differences in orientation exist independent of partisan politics.

In an open pluralistic society we must coexist, within reason, with our differences. And that is where the need for responsible adversaries comes in. We need adversaries like John McCain who will step up and correct the crazies when they attack someone like Barack Obama and say "No M'am, he's a good man, we just disagree on policies" rather than screaming "Lock her up!" to a rabid mob.