March 14, 2005
There isn't anything much uglier than a republican with no spine.
Consider.
Several Senate republican leaders are reported to be getting cold feet about continued tax cuts because of the deficit and national debt.
They are the usual suspects - Maine's Olympia Snowe; Rhode Island's Lincoln Chafee.
My question has been - and remains - instead of focusing solely on tax cuts, how about emphasizing misspending, waste fraud and abuse in government?
The answer to that question is that too many republicans do not want to turn the spotlight on themselves and be exposed to voters as spendthrifts.
It is a fact that too many republicans - the party of smaller government and more personal responsibility - have joined the democrats they once criticized in one of the few bipartisan activities remaining in Washington: spending your money on unnecessary programs and projects, largely to keep themselves in office.
I have long believed that republicans could make much political hay and do a great service to the country if they would focus on and reduce the misspending.
In New York, I'm Cal Thomas.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C. Watch his television show, After Hours with Cal Thomas, on the Fox News Channel, Saturdays at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.
