Republican Fractures posted by Ben

Could it be that the Republican leadership in Washington has finally overreached itself? Consider the events of the past few weeks.

Top Republicans are all but encouraging violence against (Republican) judges whose rulings they disagree with and are discussing mass impeachments to reduce the power of the judiciary.

Average Americans are beginning to hear about how Tom DeLay had the ethics committee rewrite the rules so his flagrant violations couldn't be reprimanded for a third, fourth, or fifth time.

The Education Department decides that paying Armstrong Williams to promote No Child Left Behind was not unethical.

Prominent Republicans break with their ranks to oppose the Nuclear Option in the Senate, declaring that silencing the voice of the minority could hurt them if they get voted out of office. (These are also, incidentally, Republicans who may not be able to rely on hanky-panky in the voting booth to get them re-elected.)

Serious discussion continues over whether it's appropriate to appoint John Bolton, U.N. hater, as our liaison to the U.N., amid allegations that he worked actively to silence voices of opposition in past jobs.

Is this the picture of a party that is confident, a party with a mandate? Or could it be instead the picture of a party that faces serious internal fractures between business and religious interests, a party that faces the unenviable task of attempting to impose the will of an extremist minority onto a recalcitrant nation?

On a totally unrelated note, Bush's poll numbers this week are at 44% approval, the lowest of his entire presidency.

edit: I would like to encourage the Republican party to stay the course. They're making it so much easier for Democrats and Progressives to point out that there is nothing moderate remaining in the Republican agenda.