It is only late March and the Republicans already are dead meat, from President George W. Bush through the Congress. Right now, the only question is not if the Democrats will do well in the coming election, but how well can they do. In my mind, it is not impossible for the Democrats to win back majorities in the House and Senate, along with easily winning the presidency.

I write this with some trepidation, as anytime one goes out on a limb to make bold predictions, there is always the danger of an "eat crow" moment. Moreover, while the Republicans are going to get what is coming to them, the agenda of the Democrats, from John Kerry on down, is hardly reassuring for one who wishes against hope for the return of the free society.

These bold predictions (which even Democrats will not make in public) are based partly on the results of the post-attack elections in Spain, where Muslim bombers were able to change the course of the vote simply by killing a lot of people at once. Despite all of the bold "stay the course" talk from Republicans and their operatives in the media, U.S. voters are not going to stay any course if we have a mass attack in this country before November — which I am willing to predict is very likely to happen.

If there is an attack, Democrats will benefit even more than what I believe will be the case. The Republicans have become a caricature of themselves, and they have run out of ideas, not to mention have completely abandoned any commitment to freedom. On the other hand, Democrats are no more enamored of a free society than Republicans, but given their absolute commitment to turning every aspect of the Sexual Revolution into law, they will carry the urban areas and places populated with young singles. It is not a replacement for true freedom, but since Republicans have given up on Americans being free, can we blame Democrats when their view of freedom is limited to unlimited sexuality?

If I am going to excoriate Republicans — which is quite obvious — then I need to spell out my differences (and they are legion). Our story begins with the election of 1980, when the candidates discussed real issues (for the most part, although the usual election silliness also was an integral part of the campaign) and the Ronald Reagan campaign demonstrated some touches of libertarian thinking.

Unfortunately, like Barry Goldwater before him (who in his disastrous 1964 campaign came out foursquare for fighting a war in Vietnam), Reagan could not extricate himself or his presidency from the idea that the United States had to "stand tall," and that meant sending troops abroad (again). Reagan’s election promise to end draft registration was soon abandoned after he occupied the White House, and it was not long after that the U.S. military adventures overseas resumed, Vietnam having been stuffed down the Orwellian Memory Hole.

First, there was the disaster in Lebanon, the "invasion" of Grenada, then came the attacks on Libya and, finally — and unfortunately — the ill-fated attempt to "protect" oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, an exercise that ended with the unfortunate shooting down of an Iranian passenger airliner. (In retaliation, Muslim radicals bombed a Pan Am flight in late 1988, killing all the passengers aboard.)

Unfortunately, as Reagan’s term progressed, it became apparent that his government not only would "stand tall" abroad, but also at home, as the drug war escalated. To get an idea of where things stood when Reagan took office, there were about 300,000 prisoners in state prisons and about 20,000 federal prisoners. Laws governing illegal drug possession and sales for the most part were handled by the states.

The drug culture was growing, however, and stories of wealthy "drug lords" in South Florida purchasing mansions and Mercedes with suitcases full of cash helped fuel a "do something" atmosphere in Congress. Members of Congress — and especially Republicans — in an effort to be seen as relevant, began to pass draconian anti-drug possession laws, using the "Commerce Clause" of the U.S.