Other Columns by Vincent Fiore
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These days, it's hard to tell just who the majority party in Washington really is. But according to the last several national elections, Republicans have won the House, the Senate, and the presidency. As Bush begins his second term with increased majorities in both House and Senate chambers, it seems that the more power Republicans garner via the voters, the less resolve and political courage they display.

If you believe you sense the beginnings of a commentary that may be less than complimentary to the GOP, trust your instincts--you are right. This space is usually filled with anything but hyperventilating rants, as I leave the more exercised and vituperative prose for the posses of the Bush-hating left.

But even dormant volcanoes erupt once in a great while, and normally ground-in-fact writers can otherwise show the occasional adverse effects of frustration.

As Hillary Rodham Clinton continues to move ever-so-stealthily to the right on most every issue that is of consequence, Republicans cannot seem to find their proper voice on nearly anything.

Not just Hillary--though she stands out for the obvious reason of her future presidential run in 2008--but the entire Democratic Party. Like Hillary, the Democratic Party has acted like something they're not, and that is the majority party in Washington.

Sure, Democrats cannot muster the votes to pass their own legislation, but they do a more than credible job on blocking President Bush's agenda. Some of the success of Democrats can be chalked up to incidental events, like the always-helpful op-ed pages of the mainstream media, along with high gasoline prices and low stock market performances.

But the primary reason for the Democratic Party's success to date is its ability to adhere to partisan discipline and unity, and the GOP's unwillingness to engage them as a majority party.

Early successes aside, like the class action tort reform bill and the more recent Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005, the Republican-led Congress has had one oar in the water most of the time.

From the alleged wrong-doing of House majority leader Tom Delay, to the botched job of touting Social Security reform, to the breathtaking lack of clamorous support for United Nations nominee John Bolton, Republicans--as a party--have not done nearly enough to refute liberal propaganda and obstructionists actions.

Republicans in Congress have done a wretched job at protecting and supporting the president with regard to Social Security reform. Senate members have been capricious in their support and strategy in changing Senate rules in answer to the Democrats' unprecedented filibustering of ten Bush nominees to the Circuit Courts.

Equally at fault in this widening gap of leadership is President Bush himself. Though the vast majority of Americans want illegal immigration stopped--even to the extent of closing the borders--Bush has developed a political tin-ear on the issue. Democratic Senators Hillary Clinton and Barbara Boxer are now outflanking him by calling for tougher border protection.

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