by Lance Thompson

House Democrats have decided that their greatest duty is to the enemies of this country. They have performed magnificently in this role by refusing to grant immunity to telecommunications companies that provide information to government agencies tasked with preventing terrorist acts. By withholding their votes from the legislation that would have renewed the Protect America Act, House Democrats have discouraged these companies from cooperation by leaving them open to law suits by the very terrorists who plot the murders of innocent Americans.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke for the Democrats when she denied that national security was the issue, and accused the GOP of wanting "to protect the financial interests of telecommunications companies and avoid judicial scrutiny of their warrantless wiretapping program." The Democrats, on the other hand, are protecting the interests of lawyers, terrorist-enabling lawsuits, and the rights of our enemies to plot our destruction in inviolable secrecy.

Once mystified by the liberal approach to governance, I have finally been able to understand the thinking behind it. Liberals take positions which reflect well on themselves. Conservatives take positions which will have positive consequences. I don’t know if this is a conscious effort by either side, but every difference in liberal and conservative thought can be explained by this theory.

Liberals want to stop the war because being against war makes them look humane. They want to outlaw waterboarding because being against maltreatment of prisoners makes them look empathetic. They don’t want to tap telecommunications and e-mails because being against eavesdropping makes them look principled.

Conservatives support the war because they know the consequences of losing the war and surrendering the initiative to the jihadist enemy will be the continuing slaughter of Americans. Conservatives support waterboarding because they know the knowledge gained from prisoners under duress can save the lives of soldiers in the field, civilians at home, and allies around the world. Conservatives support electronic surveillance because they know foreknowledge of a terrorist plot can avert a tragic attack.

Liberals support higher taxes because gouging the rich and big corporations makes them look like friends of the common people. Liberals support socialized medicine because providing medical care to all makes them look generous. Liberals support raising the minimum wage because giving more money to the lowest-paid workers makes them look magnanimous.

Conservatives support tax cuts for individuals and corporations because they know progressive taxation punishes success, limits investment, hobbles business and enterprise, and discourages the private industry that drives the economy. Conservatives dislike socialized medicine because they know that free medicine for everyone still must be paid for by some one, not to mention the cost of a vast government bureaucracy to manage a system that will decide how much and what quality of care is right for you. Conservatives are against raising the minimum wage because they know that higher wages translates into fewer jobs, and fewer hours for those who need those jobs.

Liberals are against guns because that makes them look responsible and level-headed. Conservatives support gun rights because they know that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens deter crime and protect innocent people. Liberals are against the death penalty because that makes them look merciful and forgiving. Conservatives support the death penalty because they know that innocent human life is so precious that the penalty for taking one must be the highest a guilty human being can pay.

In every area of political discussion, liberals take the side that makes them look good. Conservatives take the side that will provide positive results. It’s easy for liberals to look as if they are caring, forgiving, admirable individuals, because their views are chosen for that very purpose. Conservatives are easily painted as uncaring, mercenary and cruel because positive results may require unpopular positions and actions.

House Democrats will congratulate themselves on their blocking of the Protect America Act because they can pretend to be principled and devoted to the civil rights of Americans. Conservatives know that every terrorist-fighting tool and technique we deny our government is a gift to our deadliest enemies, gifts which will be exploited to the utmost and used to kill innocent Americans.

The election in November will not only decide who moves into the White House, but who controls Congress. Americans will have to decide which side has their best interests at heart–the side that concentrates on results, or the side that wants to look good.