May 31

　　A good therapist, we know, can sometimes help a person who’s lost his confidence or mental balance. But what do you do when an entire party needs therapy？

　　You’d think the Republicans would be the ones in need of professional help. This is a party burdened with a president so unpopular he barely has a base to stand on—Bush seems to be bypassing the lame-duck stage and heading straight for dead duck—a Vietnam-scale quagmire in Iraq and a post-Katrina rot of incompetence and corruption that is infecting the very foundations of the presidency and the GOP’s control of Congress. Not surprisingly, the Republicans are at each others' throats over this loss of prestige and popularity. Neoconservatives and traditionalists are fighting bitterly over foreign policy. Moderates and conservatives are battling over immigration and deficits. And when the maverick John McCain declares his candidacy for 2008 sometime in the next year, the Republicans will be shrieking at each other in public over abortion and other social issues.

　　害怕失败

　　我们知道一个优秀的治疗专家有时候能够帮助一个人恢复信心和心理平衡。但是，当一个政党需要治疗时，你能够做什么呢？

　　你会想到共和党人是那些需要专业治疗的人。一个不受欢迎、无立足之地的总统给这个党背上了承重的负担。布什似乎正在绕过“跛足鸭”的阶段而直接变成一只“死鸭子”——他在伊拉克陷入了一个越战规模的泥潭；在“卡特里娜”飓风过后因无能而败落；加上腐败，这一切已动摇了他总统宝座的根基，以及共和党对国会的控制。毫不奇怪，对于失去威望和民心，共和党人相互指责。新保守主义者和传统主义者在外交政策上你争我斗，温和派和保守派在移民政策和预算赤字方面争吵不休。当我行我素的约翰·麦凯恩明年某个时候宣布参加竞选2008年大选候选人时，共和党人将在流产和其他社会问题上公开相互叫板。