What Democrats should do instead of waiting to see how big the disaster will be

After the last few years I've really started to wonder: if we were to have an insane person as president proposing irrational programs which are named for the opposite of their intent and effect (i.e. "Clear Skies" "Healthy Forests" "Energy Policy"), who touts freedom while sponsoring torture and creating a 3rd Millennium Gulag of prisons where citizens and foreigners can be anonymously "rendered" without any due process, accountability, or trials, whose answer to every economic trend (surplus, deficit, massive deficit, war time economy) would be massive tax cuts tilted towards those most able to pay, who continually beats the drums for a war on terror while not acting to safeguard ports, borders, chemical plants, and while having first responders called into active duty, who spent the first six months after his re-election touring the country, meeting pre-screened audiences at fake town meetings to discuss ambiguous, ever changing proposals to meet an alleged threat to Social Security 40 years away while ignoring current fiscal disasters.....

If all that were true, and the person who was president was truly insane with no grip on reality whatsoever- then what would we call those who aren't crazy who spend much of their productive time either assisting the crazy president in his insane agenda which flies directly in the face of reality, and what do we call those in the media or opposition who "debate" the crazy proposals as if they had an ounce of rational thought behind them?

Not to denigrate what some common sense pundits and national Democrats are doing- and some do it very well. But if President Bush were certifiable, had escaped from the institution with the straight jackets, and had been planted in the White House, I can't see where anything would be any different. So why not just dismiss him as being completely nuts and out of touch with reality, dismiss his acolytes as if they are no more than crafty relatives cozying up to the crazy old uncle to get a piece of his will, and start dealing with the real messes that have been made, and figure out how to clean them up.

Rather than "waiting" for the President to enunciate his Social Security reform plan before responding, why don't Democrats realize that whatever he says will do the opposite of helping Social Security, tell the public that in the low keyed, frank terms that one reserves for discussing the insane ravings of a beloved relative, and get on with dealing with the real issues- such as an unwinnable occupation (not "war") in Iraq, the decimating of our military, the budget deficit, and Medicare/Medicaid reform, that need to be addressed pronto, unlike the Social Security Trust fund.

In other words, Democrats are doing a disservice by standing around seeing how badly Bush can screw up this country- its economy, its government, its standing in the world community, its military, its judicial system, and the health of its citizens. We need to start fixing the mess right now- not four years from now. And the best way to start is to put forth a "shadow agenda," since the Republicans in Congress won't allow Democrats to introduce bills, amend bills, or even debate the budget. We should schedule public hearings outside the offices of government- in rented halls in D.C. if we have to- to perform the functions of government and show the country what a real democracy should look like. We'd steal the show from the Republicans controlling the agenda now, and we'd show voters what they will get if they put us back in the saddle. And we should absolutely promise not to do to Republicans what they have done to us, and when we get power back, we should keep that promise.

I'm just sayin'.