You are either with us or against us, Part II

The GOP National Party is busy having a heart attack over Arlen Specter, out of Pennsylvania. He's in line to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee. He's also a social moderate who supports women's reproductive rights. He is avowedly against appointing supreme court justices who will overturn Roe vs. Wade. Unless he comes to heel, he'll never chair that committee. Dobson, Robertson, Falwell will want their comeuppance.

In October, Ron Suskind published Without a Doubt, in which former Reagan advisor Bruce Bartlett predicted a Republican Civil War if Bush won.

I don't think it will be a civil war. It will be more like an old-school purging without, one would presume, the killing. Nonetheless, Bush, Rove, Hastert, Frist, Delay are simply setting about the business of kicking fence-sitters out of the party and into political Siberia. It's the way they interpret their "Mandate." This will result in a short term consolidation of power. Long term, it will result in larger Independent and Democratic minorities. As they are marginalized and persecuted for the moderation and discipline that used to be hallmarks of the Republican Party, GOP moderates will jump ship.

When this happens, Democrats should welcome them without a single second thought. No recriminations, no questions, no "we told you so" - just a simple, "Welcome, neighbor." Afterall, we are in this together.