Reply #51: Regarding the original topic..

[chiggerbit]

...of this article, Hagel's resignation, I'd like to comment on an interesting unintended consequence of the last few years, namely the reduction of moderate Republicans in Congress, through election defeats ((Representative Leach, for instance) or through resignations. It's as if the only Republicans who are being re-elected are from the extreme right. I find that odd, but maybe it's to be expected. I'm wondering about the impact that might have for the future, say on the polarization of politics. I long for the days when being a John Bircher was something to be ashamed of, rather than the way it is now, with the word"liberal" being a dirty word and a label that too many Dem candidates run away from.