Watching Connecticut's congressional delegation these days is like observing chameleons through a kaleidoscope. Colors change so fast that the eye can't follow. Especially nimble are the Republicans. They're trying to retain their footing among a fast-decaying administration, a disgusted constituency, and whatever principles, if any, they brought with them to office.

The Democrats' burden is lighter. They have no president to defend. They need only avoid the appearance of failing to support our troops, or of being unpatriotic.

All else is fair game, and there's a ton of it. But the Republicans nonetheless remain in control in Connecticut. There are three of them, they have a bushel of money, they represent carefully gerrymandered districts, and it's still a year until the next election. In addition they each have their own taxpayer-funded public relations machine. The two Democrats, by the way, are even more safely gerrymandered.

The safest, but not unassailable, Republican seat belongs to Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4th. And a lucky thing for him that it's so solid. He had been a conscientious objector during Vietnam, but on the road to Washington was stricken by a great light. Miraculously he awoke as a super-hawk. Although he breaks with the administration regularly on issues popular in his district, he remains immensely loyal on Iraq, standing shoulder to shoulder with the president at the helm of that sinking ship. There are suggestions that his chairmanship of a national security subcommittee may be at stake.

At the president's other shoulder is Sen. Joseph Lieberman. Chief war monger among the Democrats, he proposed the invasion even before Bush. This way he picks up many super-patriotic Republicans on top of most voters from his own party.

Once a strong liberal, Lieberman, too, was stricken by that famous light. This transformation occurred on his way home from a painful loss for Congress. He likewise woke as a conservative, now detested by many Democrats.

Most nervous among the Republicans is Rob Simmons. His 2nd District seat has often been held by Democrats, and both national parties view it as a serious battleground. Somewhat safer is Nancy Johnson's 5th District seat, not least because she has been there so long.

It caused them to join with 20 Republican colleagues and help Democrats defeat a high-profile White House spending bill. That proposal would have reduced access to Medicaid, food stamps, college aid and a raft of other social programs. Indeed, Shays was the only member of the Connecticut delegation to support such draconian cuts. And as Shays is loyal to the war, Johnson is counted as the president's handmaiden on health.

Touted by Republicans for her expertise, her main task is to fend off Democratic calls for universal health care. This puts her in profitable league with the insurance industry. Johnson also took heat recently for accepting a juicy junket to the Galapagos with the Nature Conservancy.

Simmons took a controversial trip too, this one government-paid. His job, as a former spook, was to whitewash Guantanamo, which he did. This is the same place where 100 Muslim prisoners are now engaged in a life-threatening hunger strike over illegal treatment. Then for an overall perspective on our guys, we turn to the leftish Americans for Democratic Action. They give a 100 rating to Chris Dodd, John Larson, and Rosa DeLauro. Lieberman gets 75, Shays 70, Simmons 55, and Johnson 45.

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