[FuzzieAlum]

Democrats and Republicans just aren't necessarily that far apart on issues. There are people who switch parties, and "moderate" folks can be of either party.

I used to have a job typing letters to the editor, and wowee, did I ever get sick of letters from people at either end of the spectrum who were convinced that people who held differing beliefs were trying to bring America down or deliberately refusing to listen to the "truth." Yes, there are dogmatic and ignorant people, but they hold political beliefs all over the map. Likewise, there are articulate, thoughtful, open-minded people who hold widely varying beliefs.

I personally esteem anyone who can think of a president or any other politician as more than just "mine" or "bad." A politician may be a good private citizen or a bad one, an effective politician or an ineffective one, liberal, moderate or conservative, a fun guy at parties or a drag - and any of these qualities have little effect on the others. The politicians I agree with cluster into one part of the political spectrum; those I admire for their integrity are of a much wider swath of the political fabric. Yes, it's fun to make jokes about Dan Quayle's spelling, Bill Clinton's cheeseburgers, or George Bush's pretzel problems, but we have to remember that these are just jokes, primarily designed to make us feel better about "our" politicians. A great politician could be a crappy speller, a fast-food junkie, or a Heimlich recipient, and still be a great statesman. He might have a drug addict in the family or a beautiful model. But Jeb's family doesn't make education in Florida better or worse. Bush's family doesn't make his Iraq policy more or less sound.