Dowdy

The reason the Democrats are perceived as a bunch of "Desperate Housewives" is because the minute they say anything, people like Maureen Dowd rush to describe them in the pages of the New York Times as "dithering" and "effeminate."

When attempting to describe how the Republicans have managed to hold on to their image as strong on the war on terror, all Dowd can come up with is, "...the Republicans have come across like the counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer on "24": fast with a gun, loose with the law, willing to torture in the name of protecting the nation. Except Jack Bauer is competent."

She then concludes by blaming the Democrats for twice losing to Bush despite the fact that most recent studies of the dispute 2000 election indicate Gore won.

So, what is the point of all this? Is it all just to back up her viscous first line?

The Democrats were throwing haymakers at the White House this week, but they will never succeed as long as they're perceived as the party in skirts.

Perhaps if those in Dowd's position took seriously, for once, strong comments made by a former two-term Vice President and First Lady and didn't simply ridicule them because they are Democrats we wouldn't have had to live through the undoing of "230 years of American democracy."

(Did we really need all those stories about Al Gore's sweaters, Maureen?)