When partisan politics gets in the way of the facts we have misrule by partisan interests.

In today’s Sphere blog we have an article entitled Giuliani: ‘No Domestic Attacks Under Bush’ .  Simply read the article.  I won’t comment.  I don’t have to do so. The statement stands on its own.

In this story from Politics Daily we see that neither party in the Colorado races this year is even attempting to appeal to the middle of the political spectrum.  Both sides are throwing red meat to their political base, hoping for a bloody win from a vicious battle pitting extreme partisan against extreme partisan.  All hope of a political debate where the middle can feel comfortable sorting out the candidates and the pertinent issues is already gone in Colorado. In the end, the voter gets screwed by the Parties.

The story is entitled Colorado U.S. Senate Race: ‘Awfully Expensive, Awfully Nasty’ .  Is this how this year’s election cycle is going to play out?

However from TheFacts.com we read an article entitled Crowded field eyes House seat where seven people are running for a soon to be vacated House seat presently held by Republicans in Texas.  That is a very good thing.

Recently one Independent Senator and four Republican Senators paid a visit to Pakistan and attempted to explain the U.S. point of view on the war along the Afghan-Pakistan border.  It did not go so well.  In a story entitled US drone attacks undermine support for war  from the Sri Lanka Daily News we read that the continued use of drones by the U.S. inside Pakistan to kill Taliban insurgents attacking in Afghanistan is killing any hope of a long term alliance.

Once again we see that increasingly partisan divides between the Right and the Left in American politics is causing a shakey alliance overseas to move to the breaking point.  Any consensus we had on these series of wars is breaking down here at home.

On the other hand, neither political party has its act completely together relative to party cohesion.  In the Washington Post this morning there is an article entitled Steele’s book release, fiery rhetoric fuel dissatisfaction within GOP which may show a nasty and bitter powerplay within the GOP this year for control of the Party’s soul and utlimate direction.

Here is an extended quote and shows the level of disatisfaction rising within the highest levels of the GOP ranks with leadership across the board.

"In a series of defiant interviews, Steele has assailed his Republican critics, saying the bickering is distracting from the party’s mission. Yet his own fiery rhetoric — "I’m the chairman. Deal with it," Steele said Thursday — has contributed to the distraction, dampening what Republicans viewed as an otherwise positive week after two senior Democratic senators and a once-rising-star governor bowed to the political climate and announced their retirements.

There have been recurrent intraparty attacks on Steele’s management style since he was elected a year ago, as the sometimes-flamboyant chairman frequently has veered off-message. This week offered the latest kerfuffle, with the publishing of a book that GOP congressional leaders said they did not know he was writing. The chairman is promoting the book as the blueprint Republicans should follow to regain power, but party leaders said it was drafted without their input.

Some top Republicans first learned about the book, titled "Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda," when Steele promoted it in television appearances, according to three top GOP congressional aides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were unwilling to be identified as speaking ill of their party chairman.

"The book came out and everybody went, ‘Whoa, what happened?’ " one aide said.

The aides said that more than half a dozen Republican Senate and House leaders have been upset with Steele’s remarks and the book. None has spoken out publicly against Steele — in part, aides said, because the leaders see little benefit to continued strife within GOP ranks. "

At some point, I am hoping that we can deal with substantial issues in this year’s election cycle.  But then, it is only a hope.

CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)