"Zack is the key figure here. He's the one questioning if he's on the right
side and just what his allies are up to. I've heard some good analogies to
present days situations kicked around on these boards, but It seems mostly
Republicans want to accuse democrats and vice versa. What we need is more
Republicans willing to criticise fellow republicans and democrats willing to
criticise fellow democrats."

A very good point. Zack is, to all intents and purposes, the Everyman
character in this; he wants, desperately, to do what's right. But he doesn't
exactly *know* what's right, because he's getting conflicting
information...or rather, a lack of *real* information and a plethora of
agendas. Who is he to believe? Which wasy does he jump when he's not sure
which pit holds the lion?

When a culture become factionalized, when it becomes us vs. them, everyone
starts setting up consistently smaller camps...first it's democrats vs.
republicans...then it's mainstream republicans vs. conservative
republicans...then it's conservative republicans vs. religious right
republicans (with the democrats having equal problems on their side). As
soon as we forget that we're *all* US, it begins to fall apart.

jms