Picking at scabs | The Fresno Bee

Even a broken watch is right twice a day, and given the amount of ink granted by the Bee to local GOP spin-doctor Michael Der Manouel Jr., one shouldn't be surprised that he will occasionally say things that even progressives assent to, as in his commentary Nov. 9.

Unfortunately, his election post-mortem is largely an exercise in picking at yesterday's scabs; by downplaying the main reason cited in most exit polls for the GOP's defeat (the war in Iraq), Mr. Der Manouel demonstrates that the real cure for what ails his party eludes him.

Let me help: The next time somebody pitches a war to the American people, it would be helpful if the justification for invading the other country actually existed. Democrats prevailed at the polls not just because the public is war-weary, but also because so many remain troubled by the way the Bush administration built the case for invasion in the first place.

The GOP has failed to address these concerns in a meaningful way, and that, more than anything else, is why Americans are less inclined to trust them at present.

Scott Hatfield, Clovis