he Republicans, the party that used to believe in supporting limited government, have given us a president who has put the nation in hock. Mr. Bush has taken the surpluses of the Clinton years and turned them into horrendous, long-term and growing deficits.

The paramount economic challenge to the United States is to keep our economic leadership in the new global economy. There are new competitors in the world and we need bold leadership. That is not going to be forthcoming with the lame-duck Bush team . If you listen to the words from the Oval Office, you wouldn't know there were any problems out there, save for the War on Terror
Our long-term fiscal challenge is to reduce the cost of Medicaid and Medicare. It is critical to reverse Mr. Bush's tax cuts. He has strayed so far from the course of fiscal discipline and offers us a near total vacuum of leadership. On critical issue after critical issue, President Bush and the GOP are sacrificing America's future to reward their friends in the short run. Al From, the founder and CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council, feels that way and has written, "I fear the 2006 national election could turn on whether voters' unease with the Democrats on national security again trumps their apprehension with the direction Republicans are leading the country". That would be a tragedy. He added, "In light of the GOP record, it would be tragic if national security costs Democrats yet another national election". But it could.

A few random thoughts on items in the news. After 15 years on the NBC"Today" show as co-anchor, Katie Couric is to become the CBS News anchor. She has done a superb job and will likely be equally productive in the ratings for CBS, but what a ridiculous world we live in: $20- plus million to sit in front of a camera and read a teleprompter for about 7 to 8 minutes each evening. To be fair, an artist is worth whatever people are willing to pay for the talent and her track record is long on experience. I met her for the first time quite recently and found her charming. I wish her success.

That corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff is off to serve a 70-month jail term. He got what he deserved. We deserve real lobbying reform. The Senate voted last week for a weak bill that purports to reform lobbying abuse. If the bill is signed into law, legislators would no longer be able to accept gifts or meals from lobbyists, but free trips on private jets are acceptable. Except for a few rules requiring greater disclosure the lawmakers wouldn't have to change their behavior much at all.

Isn't it refreshing to know that "The Hammer", Sen. Tom DeLay, is out of the Congressional race. The former exterminator turned power-broker said that he wanted to avoid an election becoming a "referendum on me," in November. The pompous twit, that's exactly what we all need - an investigation and exploration into the easy money and lax ethics of the DeLay era.

As is so often the case with New York Times columnist, Thomas L. Freedman, with a headline and a short column, he sums up the current struggle over immigration reform. We need strong borders for many reasons, starting with the simple fact that we are a sovereign state and we are entitled to control the flow of human traffic into the country. We need non-porous borders and we need immigrants. Friedman's words, "America today is struggling to find the right balance of policies on immigration. Personally, I favor a very high fence with a very big gate."

More than four and a half years after the Sept.11th 2001 terrorist attacks, the hole in the ground in lower Manhattan has yet to be filled.