When William Kristol's column called the Republican Party "the party of real- world responsibility over the last 40 years" there was an immediate response to such an absurdity.

Jonathan Maskit of Granville, Ohio in a letter to the editors of the New York Times on February 20 wrote:

"Richard M. Nixon prolonged a pointless conflict in Vietnam, spied on his political adversaries, presided over a scandal-ridden administration and resigned in disgrace.  Ronald Reagan pushed the government deep into debt on the basis of a dream-world economic theory, slashed social services and deeply eroded Americans' confidence in the very idea of government."

Maskit went on to point out the colossal failures of George W. Bush, the U.S. president with the lowest public poll rating in history, which now stands at an abysmal 19%.