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Jeffords was already moving in that direction.  He's an old-school, Yankee Republican, sort of in line with Howard Dean.  If we were living in 1905, both Dean and Jeffords would be strong, liberal Republicans.  It's only been in the last three to four decades that the GOP has become a hotbed for extremism.  Even Nixon and Ford maintained some heavily progressive views.

I think he simply found Bush's agenda so irresponsible -- for example, taking us from a record surplus to a projected record deficits (we weren't yet in deficit, but we knew we would be) -- that he decided it was time to leave the party.  There are a few Republicans who haven't left but still hold that sort of view.

Chuck Hagel, who I disagree on any number of issues but greatly admire nonetheless, is increasingly looking that way on foreign policy.  I'd love to see the GOP nominate him in '08, as a safety net to avoid the possibility of more Christian Right influence, but it won't happen.  Lieberman's increasingly right-wing talk sort of cancels out the Hagel effect, too.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri Feb 17th, 2006 at 12:36:06 PM EST
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you got that right regarding Hagel.  I would put him at 100:1 or worse on that.  Personally, I find him clueless--but I would admit there is just something about his personal style that really turns me off.  
by wchurchill on Fri Feb 17th, 2006 at 02:38:12 PM EST
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The New York Times Magazine did a profile on him last Sunday.  A big part of his problem is that he doesn't come off as a very optimistic guy, and, as you know, we Americans constantly need sunshine shoved up our asses from politicians.  (Why that is, I don't know.)  Bill Maher told a hilarious joke about it:

"Like Reagan.  He was sunny!  FDR was the sunniest Democrat, but he had polio, and his wife was a dyke.  There was nowhere to go but up."

FDR would've gotten a kick out of that.

Hagel's a Vietnam veteran, so I'm inclined to listen to him on issues of war and peace more so than non-veterans.  That may be unfair, but it's simply a knee-jerk reaction of mine.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri Feb 17th, 2006 at 05:37:32 PM EST
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true, and that sunny thing applies to me as well i'm afraid.
by wchurchill on Fri Feb 17th, 2006 at 06:34:56 PM EST
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It applies to me a bit.  I'd like to think I'm reasonably optimistic.  But an intelligent pessimist would be an improvement these days.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Sat Feb 18th, 2006 at 12:39:33 PM EST
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Americans constantly need sunshine shoved up our asses from politicians.
The Titanic sank during a race to elect the Captain. The guy whose program was to rearrange the chair on the sunbathing deck.</snark>

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sat Feb 18th, 2006 at 01:59:33 PM EST
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