On Sunday’s Face the Nation, Colin Powell went on the defensive. Apparently Mr. Powell doesn’t like the fact that Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh have called him out on essentially throwing the Republican party under the bus.

In addition to voting for Obama, Powell freely admits to voting for Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter. Stating that he believes in voting for the best person for the job, not party affiliation. Powell did note he voted for Reagan, Bush 41 and 43. I guess between 1980-1992 and 1999-2004 were Powell’s so called true Republican years. He was a staunch Republican during the years which benefited his career the most. One can ponder whether he ever was truly a Republican at heart, or if he played one to advance his own career.

Powell obnubilated the reasons why Republicans have lost power with nonsensical rhetoric about not reaching out to others, not realizing Americans want bigger government and higher taxes. As if he’s taking talking points straight out of the James Carville playbook.

You just don’t get it Mr. Powell. A little over two years ago, Republicans dominated with power. Republicans didn’t lose because Americans suddenly realized Republicans were too exclusionary and insanely obsessed with abortion, guns, and gay people. Republicans lost because they weren’t Republican enough. They weren’t sticking to their core values. Those core values attracted the Blue Dog Democrats and Independents who voted for Reagan.

The Republican Party has taken the carrot from Democratic Party’s stick and it has cost them. Not only is it helping to define the Republican Party negatively, it has caused tremendous amount of in-fighting amongst Republicans.

Becoming more like Democrats is not the solution to winning back power. Using minor issues as a litmus test for defining a true Republican is myopic and destructive. The real litmus test for Republicans should be whether one believes in the core values of a fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, and smaller government. It’s like getting into an argument what constitutes a true Christian. Either you believe in Christ as your savior or not. Believing the government is your savior or not, should determine party affiliation.

Republicans need to come clean with the American public on losing sight of being the party that defends the American wallets from a bloated government. The Republican Party needs to win back trust by admitting mistakes and learning from them. To quote from Bill Murray in the movie Stripes, the Republicans need to become a lean, mean (big government) fighting machine.

Powell needs to leave the party before he loses his last shred of credibility and tarnishes his historical legacy. Powell should realize beating up on the Republican Party will eventually raise questions about his own contribution to controversial mistakes made as Secretary of State.

Hollywood is a cruel place. One day you are Ashley Judd, the fresh faced it girl. A few years later, you’re an over-the-Hollywood-hill, forty-something, actress struggling to maintain relevancy in a world which puts the highest premium on newness.

What does an actress do when she’s too old to be the it girl, but still too attractive to get cast in roles reserved for older character actors? She ends up in leading lady limbo if her career was built more on looks than talent. At this career crossroad, most actresses — of Ashley Judd’s caliber — end up fading into oblivion with straight-to-video movie releases.

In the last few years, Ashley Judd has been more famous for being racer Dario Franchitti’s wife than her movies. But now, Ashley has found a way to revive her Hollywood status by taking on Sarah Palin — who probably is the most hated Republican in Hollywood now that Bush has left office.

Liberal Hollywood actresses have a particular deep-seated hatred of Sarah Palin. They see Sarah as anti-feminist. They claim she is seeking to set the women’s movement back by her conservative, pro-life views.

It’s an interesting dichotomy to proclaim Gov. Palin is against women’s rights when these actresses make a living off the exploitation and degradation of women.

What legacy does Hollywood leave to women other than telling them they’re worthless if they don’t starve themselves to levels of thinness seen in concentration camps? Or that their worthiness lies within their sexual attractiveness and youth. That’s right. Put a scalpel to your face and implants in your chest, Hollywood actresses, and dare to call yourselves feminists. Do true feminists support an industry that puts women out to pasture at age 40 and tells them they are no longer relevant?

These so called Hollywood feminists have the audacity to attack a woman who had the tenacity and grit to propel herself from housewife to the Governor of the State of Alaska. And Gov. Palin didn’t have to bare her chest to land that role, Hollywood ladies.

While Sarah Palin is out there trying to reign in government to make a brighter future for our children, the ladies of Hollywood keep putting women back into the stone age under the guise of feminism.

Ashley Judd is making a fool out of herself by attempting to marginalize Palin on issues she doesn’t fully comprehend such as wildlife preservation. While it may extend Ashley’s Hollywood sell-by-date, a year or two, it will cost her fans and respectability. But hey, Ashley’s a Hollywood sell-out so she gave up caring about being respected years ago.

The Washington Post’s headlines blare Senate Gets Reacquainted with McCain the Maverick. John McCain is at it again, hand-slapping Republicans for delaying Hillary Clinton’s confirmation. Sen. John Cornyn wanted to delay the vote in order to examine Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation foreign donors. McCain publicly scolded Republicans like Sen. John Cornyn for having the audacity to ask questions instead of blindly jumping on the liberal bandwagon.

McCain seems to shine when he’s allowed to lick the boots of his opponents and castigate Republicans for interfering with his journey to gain acceptance from people who hate what he represents.

You hear Democrats cheer, “The Mac is back” and “McCain is our favorite Republican or the only one we like.” You see him at Obama’s Inauguration luncheon sitting at Rahm Emanuel’s table.

Reading various conservative sites, it’s clear the majority of Republicans feel that McCain’s loyalty is not to his party but to his place in the Washington power structure. McCain’s stances seem to change according to which way the political winds blow. Also, he has a history of throwing his own party members under the bus in order to get into the good graces of his opponents.

One has to wonder if spending so many years as a prisoner-of-war have shaped McCain to be an appeaser and sycophant. Perhaps it would explain his continuous political waffling and admonishment of his own party.

McCain chose to be a Republican and voted in by his constituents to represent those ideals in Washington. Yet, he seems uncomfortable with the Republican agenda. McCain is in perpetually political limbo where he’s the safest. The path with the least resistance allows him to play both sides.

History remembers great leaders who have the courage to stand up and stick to their convictions. How will history remember The Mac? As the next Zell Miller?