Extremist Republicans to Blame for Everything - October 31, 2003

Extremist Republicans to Blame for Everything
"Our political culture has not been infected by some virus from outer space, or from TV. The carrier was Newt Gingrich.Today's Republican Party is arguably the most extreme-the furthest from the center-of any governing majority in the nation's history." - Contributing writer James Traub, October 26, 2003 New York Times Magazine.

Thatcher the Throwback
"Mr. Howard, a former barrister and the son of Romanian-born immigrants, will be under pressure to win the support of moderate Tories who see him as a throwback to the right-wing policies of Margaret Thatcher." - Alan Cowell on Michael Howard's bid to lead the Britain's Conservative Party, October 31, 2003.

Drop the Twinkies and No One Gets Hurt
"But unlike smoking, eating is not outright harmful to health, so it is more difficult to control by legislation." - Lizette Alvarez in an article on obese Brits, October 31, 2003.

Bush's "Radical Conservatism" Hurting Iraq Campaign

"Can the president really be a successful radical liberal on Iraq, while being such a radical conservative everywhere else-refusing to dismiss one of his own generals who insults Islam, turning a deaf ear to hints of corruption infecting the new Baghdad government as it's showered with aid dollars, calling on reservists and their families to bear all the burdens of war while slashing taxes for the rich, and undertaking the world's biggest nation-building project with few real allies?" - Columnist Thomas Friedman, October 30, 2003.
Which Way Is It?

"Why Are We Back in Vietnam?" - Headline to Frank Rich's October 26, 2003 column. "At the tender age of six months, the war in Iraq is not remotely a Vietnam." - Excerpt from the text of Frank Rich's October 26, 2003 column.