Republicans?

I have lived through a number of wars since I was a child in WW II. I have never seen our political parties not working together on behalf of the country in facing threats to the nation -- with the exception of the Iraq intervention which was generally viewed as illegal and also a diversion from what should have been our target -- Afghanistan.

Now I hear that the Republicans plan to make security their primary campaign issue in our forthcoming elections. Such is designed to frighten people. But it betrays our country when it is directed against our national leadership. Even Bush initially had wide support with Iraq until it became clear (except to Cheney) that Hussein was an enemy of Al Qaeda, our primary threat.

I grew up in a Republican household and the Republicans used to be generally decent people -- not attacking our leadership in times of national emergency. Where are the Robert A. Tafts and Eisenhowers?

Is it our TV media format that encourages Republican pols to attack on any and all fronts? I see little if anything that they are offering to our nation apart from their attacks. Criticism is acceptable as free speech, but the Republican 'No' tactic looks to me to be dangerous for our democracy. People can be all too easily misled when they are confronted by often repeated misrepresentations of the basic facts. We see this pattern in the worst of regimes, but how sad to have it be the modus operandi of one of our major political parties.
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"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
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Ed Kent [blind copies]