I was totally baffled by Paul Wilder’s letter accusing Trey Hoffman of having an identity crisis (“Bush most liberal of U.S. presidents”), until I realized that everything he doesn’t like has to be called “liberal.” It seems to me that the crisis is Mr. Wilder’s and that he is in serious denial about today’s conservatives.

Fiscal policy? When the Bush administration took office, the country was a little over $5.7 trillion in debt. As of the beginning of November this year, the debt is now over $8 trillion, an increase of over two and a quarter trillion dollars.

At the average interest rate published by the Bureau of Public Debt, that adds up to an increase of over $108 billion of interest per year.

The numbers are so large as to be almost meaningless, but perhaps saying that the increase in the interest on the public debt run up by the Republicans and President Bush is more than $296.9 million dollars per day is more comprehensible. Yes, that is just the increase in interest payments.

Astonishingly, it was back in the liberal Clinton days when Alan Greenspan warned that the U.S. was paying off the debt too fast and projected a $500 billion surplus for this year. Since the conservative Republicans have taken over the entire government, that problem at least has been solved.

And complaining that fuel economy standards are too low is because of “liberal” Republicans is just weird. It’s real liberals who have been trying to increase CAFE standards and who have been fought bitterly by the administration and the Republicans.

Does Mr. Wilder know any Republicans who support increasing fuel standards or who favor government development programs for alternative energy? I admit that I don’t.

Then, it seemed to me anyway, Paul slipped from weird into bizarre complaining that the administration has forgotten about Osama bin Laden and the war in Iraq.

I fear he has taken my liberal Democrat position that the President and the Republicans, who, I have to note again, control all branches of government, lost sight of the 9/11 attackers and elected instead to invade Iraq, which was not involved.

I agree it’s a debacle but since he didn’t want to go there, I won’t, either. However, I would say that it is mighty hard to blame that one on the liberals.

Immigration policy? I can’t say much about the administration’s immigration policy, although I’ll be happy to comment if they ever formulate one.

But the truly strange part of Mr. Wilder’s letter concerned the criticism of the selection of Supreme Court nominees based on their willingness to overturn Roe vs. Wade as a liberal litmus test by the President.

I disagree with the most liberal amongst us on the issue but surely Mr. Wilder knows that EVERYTHING is subservient to Roe vs. Wade in conservatives’ acceptance of a nominee.

And his final point associating liberals with Tom Delay, Ralph Reed and Jack Abramoff and the Republican policies allowing an explosion of lobbyists and cronies in a political swamp? Well, I can’t even get my head around that one.

But all is not lost and I have good news for Mr. Wilder. He can come on over to our side.

Support fiscal sanity, a real energy policy, a military strategy that doesn’t include elective wars and that doesn’t support disregarding real military officers planning and conducting a war if one becomes necessary.

Recognize that the identity crisis is yours, Mr. Wilder, and that all those things you are complaining about are the conservative positions and are only liberal in your fantasies.

Join us in the reality-based world. We real liberals need all the help we can get.

Jeff Carter
Peachtree City, Ga.

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