The Gang starts crumbling and J. C. Watts almost gets it.

I find it very telling that a Republican member of the Gang of 14, Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), doesn't understand why Samuel Alito's confirmation would be filibustered. I thought the Gang was supposed to be moderates with open eyes and ears, who would hold off judgement until the time was right. Certainly Gang of 14 member, Senator Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), understood this when he said "it's way too early to talk about extraordinary circumstances."

I have vented in the past as to how corrupt I believe the Republican party has become in the past few years, so I haven't been too surprised by the indictments of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and former Vice President Chief of Staff Scooter Libby or the SEC investigation of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. So I find it refreshing that Republican would admit that the Republican party has become arrogant.

J.C. Watts (former Republican Representative from Oklahoma) wrote in his column for the Las Vegas Review-Journal that "... sadly, what they say about absolute power is coming to reality in the 2005 GOP Washington. Republicans in just 10 years have developed the arrogance it took the Democrats 30 years to develop."

The sad thing is that even though he sees the arrogance, he ignores the corruption. His defense of Republicans is to tritely claim they the lesser of two evils. Watts goes on to say that in spite of the arrogance, "Republicans have a real chance to rebound simply because our Democrat friends just don't get it." He rehashes the old "Democrats want to tax you" argument apparently oblivious to the fact that Bush keeps spending money. Don't get me wrong, I believe Bush is doing the right thing in spending money for hurricane relief and health care, but bills have to get paid somehow. It is very deceptive of Watts to deride tax hikes when money is being spent and even Republicans in Congress are curious as to where the money is going to come from. Taxes and programs have already been cut, what exactly is Watts's plan?

Watts then finishes with a flurry of rhetoric stating "I believe we can still be the party of change, and we can lead." Well not to state the obvious but, It's kind of hard to be "the party of change" when you are in charge of everything. Democrats know this well considering they held the White House and both chambers of Congress in the 90s, right when J.C. Watts and the Republican Party took control of Congress.