GOP IN TATTERS AS THE POWELL CHENEY RIFT HIGHLIGHTS THE DISARRAY.

Dick Cheney came out publicly last week accusing former Sec of State Colin Powell of not being a Republican. Cheney went further and proclaimed that hot headed talk show host Rush Limbaugh was more of a Republican than Powell was. Powell responded yesterday on Face the Nation by telling host Bob Schieffer that he was , in fact, still a Republican. That voting for the "right person" has always been his trademark and Obama in 2008 was the right choice. Powell then added that Limbaugh should be open to criticism just like everyone else, that GOP chairman, Michael Steele did not, and should not have, essentially backed down to Limbaugh publicly, apologizing the way he did last month. The Steele apology came off the heels of his remark in downplaying Limbaughs voice , calling him solely an "entertainer." 

 Powell is right. So was Michael Steele in trying to temper the value of Limbaugh. Incendiary  viewpoints by Limbaugh and other loud mouth small minded extremists on the right who call the economy  "Socialist," and our  National security "less safe" in an Obama administration due to Diplomacy, closing Gitmo and denouncing Torture, won't help the GOP going forward. 

Understanding instead why both the economy crashed, as well as the negative fallout of Torture, which  helped the enemy recruit, allowed opponents an easy media spin, and hypocrisy of the U.S asking the world to follow laws, would be humbling and wise . 

Republicans should not overlook their own recent history. George Bush won the 2000 election by being SIMPLE . This message was in tune with what voters needed especially after listening to wonky Al Gore and watching Bill Clinto use banana peel words to dodge impeachment. Bush, the "misunderestimated" candidate, connected with people on a "beer test" type of level. You could drink a beer with George and feel comfortable. Trying to win reelection in 2004 against flip flopper John Kerry, despite victory replaced by Insurgency and embarassing torture photos out of Abu Ghraib, Bush told us "you may not agree with me all the time but you know where I stand. Unlike Kerry at the time who voted for the Iraq war but not the 87 Billion needed to fund it. Unlike the GOP now, who don't stand for anything except defending their practices since 2000 as well as Bush era members legacies. 

The Powell Cheney rift symbolizes the disarray that the party is in right now. It lacks direction. It lacks vision. That's obvious.  It lacks accountability for the past 8 years and better find some. I'm not talking about any GOP members needing to  apologize to the country publicly for the recession or Iraq, I'm talking about future candidates internally  knowing what the priorities of the country have to be going forward in order to better insure peace and prosperity. These don't include social issues like abstinence, abortion and gay marriage, issues that the Conservative base will fight for though their group is dwindling in numbers. Fake bold message like Bush's 2003 " Mission Accomplished" are hollow , as North Korea's nuke tests will prove. Instead, a  sound understanding of contentious regions and though out responses taken after listening to the opinions, facts, and judgements of people with expertise from all sides of the fence is more effective of a defense strategy in both the short term and the long run. 

This Cheney Powell battle  is good for the party only if the result neutralizes the extreme voices like Limbaugh and Cheney. Guys who right or wrong in their opinions, deliver them with angry tones and incendiary language, turning off future voters the GOP will need if they want to be the majority again.