Chutzpah

It is a Yiddish word that translates roughly as "insolence," "audacity," "imprudence," or "unashamed self-confidence," depending on the context and/or the subject.

Despite a Democratic presidential victory that was far from a mandate -- 52 to 47 percent, give me a break -- the Republican party is in shambles, the likes of which it has not seen in over thirty years. If they don't get it together in time for the 2010 congressional elections, they will probably lose any chance of taking back the White House in 2012. Given their abysmal failure to come up with something besides the same old, fat-@$$, rich white guys, it's probably just as well. These are the guys who tell supporters to get over their longing for the Reagan years. Then in the next breath, the same K Street Clowns tout stuff reminiscent of Rockefeller and the warmed-over "country club Republican" era.

(By the way, Terri Schiavo was killed in spite of protections already provided for in Florida and Federal law, and in spite of a Republican governor and president, so don't even GO there!)

Recently, a producer for NBC's Saturday Night Live was interviewed. She referred to Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska and former GOP vice-presidential candidate, as "the most confident person I've ever met." Read the transcript, or watch the interview.

Bill Bennett says that the future of the GOP does not rest with Palin. Maybe so, maybe not. Without a distinct platform that actually offers the voter an alternative (and worries less about Meghan McCain's obsession with being a political fashion statement), it won't matter who they pick.

Because, before you come up with new ideas, you must first have a clue.
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