POWELL IS NOW ON THE OUTS WITH THE GASBAGS

In an appearance at a conference about corporate security, Colin Powell stated what most Americans find obvious by now:

Powell also criticized other GOP leaders, for bowing too much to the right.

He blasted radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, saying he does not believe that Limbaugh or conservative icon Ann Coulter serve the party well. He said the party lacks a "positive" spokesperson. "I think what Rush does as an entertainer diminishes the party and intrudes or inserts into our public life a kind of nastiness that we would be better to do without," Powell said.

Fats didn't like this and neither did the Baby Jesus Hannity but it's essentially what John Derbyshire thinks and even Huge Ego Hewitt realizes that there are serious problems with Coulter. It is tempting to think that the urge to purge is a relatively new phenomenon in the GOP but that would be mistaken. The intolerance for others stretches back decades and Thomas Franks provides some examples from people who were pillars of movement conservatism.

Jack Abramoff called for an end to "peaceful coexistence with the Left" in 1983 and before that, Howard Phillips urged Pres. Reagan to end his strategy of "detente" with his political adversaries in 1982. (Franks, p. 287). In August 1984, Grover "Bathtub" Norquist said that "We must establish a Brezhnev Doctrine for conservative gains. Conservatives must establish their own doctrine and declare their victories permanent, not only in foreign policy, but in domestic policy as well." (Franks, p. 345)