A common criticism of the military is that they "are always fighting the last war." That's often true in politics, too. If something goes right, we tend to stick with it (for better or worse), and if something goes wrong, we muscle our might toward fixing the mistakes of the past. This is good and well, until our enemies change their strategy and tactics.
Yesterday's Washington Post featured an article about a new generation of Democrats coming up through the Congressional ranks. This new generation is different from the old school pols like Ted Kennedy and Tip O'Neil, who ruled the Senate and House for forty years. They grew up watching Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton and are more charismatic, pragmatic, and yes, more "hip" than the old guard. One can only assume they are angry at candidates like Michael Dukakis and John Kerry, whom they view as a throwback to a previous generation.
This formidable up-and-coming "farm team" will be promoted in future elections. My hope is that we Republicans realize our future opponents are not going to be like good ol', um, liberal, um, Teddy Kennedy - they will be more like Barak Obama ... smart, less likely to admit to being "liberal," and well-spoken.
This is just more evidence that you and I must continue to study how to win.
