I don't think either major political party tolerates much in the way of dissent from the platform. Pro-war Lieberman certainly wasn't tolerated. It'll be interesting to see if pro-choice Guiliani succeeds that breaking through that kind of barrier on the Republican side.

About Lieberman: I'm ambivalent. Part of me thinks he should just retire, since his party has left him behind. I haven't decided whether he's an opportunist or really believes in what he's doing. (I have plenty of objections to him on how he's used video game ratings as a political lever several times, but on this, I'm unsure.) Sullivan, on the other hand, may have started out as a legitimate Log Cabin Republican, but now he's pretty much just an opportunist seeking controversy to boost his readership.

---Ellen