It's time for a little of that concern at home

By Lee Russ

Sunday, December 18, 2005 at 08:42 AM

It's hard to miss the contrast between the attitudes of Republicans toward Iraq, and toward America.  There's always been a divide between the way we treat "us" and the way we treat "them" but, come on, aren't we supposed to treat us BETTER than them?

That's not the way it's going so far.  In fact, a Houston Chronicle columnist recently looked at Republican concern for fair elections in Iraq and mused that "it's time for a little of that concern at home."

The Chronicle columnist, Cragg Hines, laments Republican "breast-beating about representative government in Iraq while they continually try to jigger the vote at home."  He points out that the redistricting that DeLay engineered in Texas was considered suspect by nonpartisan staff attorneys at the Justice Department, who were overruled by their more partisan superiors; that the Supreme Court has finally agreed to hear the case; that Supreme Court nominee Sam Alito appears to has oppose the entire line of "one-person, one-vote" court decisions that are at the the heart of the fair-representation principle in America; and that the massive amount of questionable fundraising that has gotten DeLay into hot Texas water was intimately connected to the redistricting campaign.

But treating Iraq better than America goes far beyond the question of voting and democracy.  The Republicans currently running America seem to favor Iraq over America in just about every way.

There, Republicans have unlimited billions of dollars to build schools, bridges, and other infrastructure--even with the millions that have been ripped off by this administration's corrupt friends and unqualified administrators, that still leaves a lot of money for "them."  Over here, the Republicans want to make sure they get those tax cuts extended and increased, and the condition of the schools and bridges  be damned.

Over there Republicans are worried about providing more electricity and jobs and food and medical care.  Over here, the Republican House just passed a budget reconciliation bill that tells the poor and vulnerable to take a hike, and universal health care remains a distant dream.

Over there, Republicans come down firmly on the side of pluralism, religious tolerance, and the idea that secular is equal to or better than sectarian.  Over here Republicans are busy polarizing the country, and supporting the movement by far right Christians to claim the country and its values for their own.

If you want to talk about anti-American, look no further than the halls of our Republican leaders in the House, Senate, and White House.