In a scene from Star Trek II — The Wrath of Khan Ricardo Montalban, playing the title role, steals a line from Moby Dick when he vows, from even the depths of hell, to seek eternal vengeance against William Shatner's Captain Kirk by howling, 'With my last breath, I spit at thee; For hate's sake, I stab at thee!'

This is a far cry from Senator McCain's approach in seeking his retribution against the Republicans, in general, and President Bush, in particular, for his February, 2000 defeat in the South Carolina presidential primary. A defeat claimed to have derailed his candidacy express and to have been the result of a dirty, underhanded smearing perpetrated by pollsters and persons unknown, but attributed to Bush supporters. Couldn't be, could it, that Democrats may have been thinking that Bush would be easier to defeat than McCain? Nah, they'd never do anything like that.

No, McCain is having his revenge gazpacho served nice and cold as, has been said, it is most tasty. And spiteful too, it is. Farther reaching than most will imagine. For the power of the Presidency, not just the prestige of the current holder of that office, is diminished when the Constitutionally mandated appointment power of the President is left subject to the whim of the minority party. 

The Republicans now appear even more hapless than before this procedural 'compromise', while Democrats, with their slash and burn tactics, emerge from the conflagration unscathed. And all the while McCain is with aplomb better positioning himself, in contrast to Bush, as a noble and effective conciliator. The man to heal our political wounds, bring us together in melodic Kum—Bay—Ya bliss, have the lion lie with the lamb, and usher him into the White House — as Republican or Democrat.

For after this, I cannot imagine any red—blooded Republican casting their vote his way even if McCain was running just for dog catcher.

Dennis Sevakis   5 24 05