GOP: Presidential options imperfect

The desperation of the Republican Party to find the perfect candidate for president has been an interesting spectacle to watch. Unhappy with the current candidates for president recently there has been pressure on Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey to be the new "perfect" nominee of the GOP.

It seems like many of the GOP and Tea Party faithful want a presidential candidate that has the attractiveness and cutesy one liner quips of Sarah Palin, combined with the Tea Party endorsement and "let the federal government default" attitude of Michele Bachmann, combined with the macho, gun toting, to hell with compassionate conservatism swagger of Rick Perry, combined with the intellect and political experience of Newt Gingrich, combined with the libertarian orthodoxy and isolationist foreign policy of Ron Paul, and combined with the smooth talking moderate and reasonably competent abilities of Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman.

The Republicans need to settle down and realize there is no perfect or saintly politician out there just waiting to be discovered by their desperate political machine. This whole spectacle reminds me of the song from the ‘60s by Steven Stills that has a line: "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with."

TOM HEARN

Coeur d'Alene