dedicated to the one i love

not the Democratic minority leader

Oh, so the Senate Democrats have selected Harry Reid to be their leader, not Terry Reid. I wasn't clear on why the Democrats would turn to a minor British rocker from the 1960's to lead them in this critical time. I thought maybe it was part of this "search for a new identity" they keep talking about. If feeding the poor isn't a good enough image anymore, or protecting innocent civilians from death and injury, or defending Social Security, or respecting a woman's right to choose - if standing for these ideals isn't good enough for them anymore, then I figured they might be ready for anything. And, while Harry Reid opposes a woman's right to choose and pandered to the right with a flag-burning amendment, Terry Reid was offered the lead singer position in Led Zeppelin before Robert Plant took it. That's a pretty good credential. He also covered Sonny & Cher's "Bang Bang," while Harry Reid seems determined to remake their other big hit, "The Beat Goes On."

So this is how the Senate Democrats choose to define themselves. Mrs. Night Light brought this issue to my attention this morning by flinging the New York Times across the room and emitting a near-ultrasonic shriek that cleared the trees of birds and left hairline cracks in the French crystal. (Well, not really, but she was pretty pissed.) She was reading about Sen. Reid, the teetotaling Mormon who boasts that a former Republican Committee chair is one of his biggest supporters, and who promises that his friendship with President Bush will not affect his performance.

Remember, Democratic Senate candidates won the popular vote nationally by more than 3,000,000 votes, a mandate equal to or greater than the President's. Remember, too, Harry Truman's observation that "in a race between a Republican and a Republican, the Republican wins every time." Yet the Democrats have once more chosen the time-worn path of appeasement. Mr. Reid will be polite and humble and won't make a mess on the carpet. Give 'em ... heck, Harry. They continue to try the 'loyal opposition' approach, since it worked so well for Tom Daschle. And that pro-Iraq vote sure helped Kerry craft his message. Listen up, wimps: The meek may inherit the earth, but not while Karl Rove's alive.

Thanks, Democrats, for destabilizing my marriage. I had finally talked the Mrs. out of moving to Europe by pointing out that conservatives didn't move to Argentina when Goldwater lost. They hung in for 30 years and took over the world, like Number Two did for Dr. Evil. We can do it, too, I told her. She was just starting to go for it, and now this. Why fight for Democrats, says Mrs. NL, if they're going to start becoming more & more like Republicans? She says they've stabbed all of their voters in the back and let down the armies of GOTV volunteers (she was one of them), by picking this guy.