THE LAZY SUSAN AND THE CATBIRD SEAT

Back in the 60's and 70's we all went to each others homes - and ate the hosts' veggies and dip with relish (pun intended if it included those miniature weiners).

We did that - sitting at various positions around the coffee table - courtesy of something called a "Lazy Susan" that, if lucky, you could spin around to get at your favorite hors d' oeuvres.(spelling optional)  But clearly, the best seat was in the middle of the couch fronting the coffee table - and within easy reach of the food.

Even now, upon arriving at someone's home, I immediately scope out the couch. It's still close to the goodies and usually provides the best view of the game du jour too.

This also describes what goes on in Washington every two years.

A life long Republican, I initially welcomed the Tea Party. I honestly believed it was something positive that would help our staid GOP - maybe even be the source of a Third Party. I believed we needed fresh blood and it was time to replace some of  of our "elder statesmen" - retiring their powdered "Whigs" in the process.

 Dad said, "You got to be careful what you wish for." He was right - I was wrong. The Tea Party scares the hell out of me.

Let's take the budget crisis as an example. The Republicans have agreed to work with the Democrats on the budget. That is, if they will agree to "drop-kick" Obamacare.

Mike Lee, a Republican Senator from Utah, wrote a lame rebuttal to an editorial column in USA Today chastizing some Republican  politicians for threats the editors described as "having a temper tantrum."

The reason for USA Today's editorial umbrage was apparently that the Republicans - in all their wisdom - have once more threatend to shut down the government, a position the newspaper calls both "dumb and delusional".

Lee's position? "We should use Congress' power of the purse to deny funding for this unfair (Obamacare) law. Congress controls the power to appropriate funds, so defunding Obamacare is simple."

One reader echos my sentiments when he writes in the Letters Reply section: "His (Lee) "the sky is falling" approach to wanting the Affordable Care Act defunded is similar to some who opposed Medicare before and after LBJ signed it into law."

Look, there's nothing wrong with being a member of the "opposition party".We are clearly a country without a rudder, whose citizens desperately want and need more responsible leadership from both sides of the aisle.

However, the image I come away with is that the Republicans are simply fighting for the seat on the couch with the best access to the "Lazy Suzan."

If they keep up with this foolishness - it's doubtful they're going to make it to author and humorist James Thurber's "catbird seat" in 2014.