Nothing is certain to light my fuse faster than the hint of hypocrisy.

I hate it in others…and I especially hate it during those uncomfortable moments when I find it in myself.

As a Christian, I have chosen to follow "the Way, the Truth and the Life," Jesus Christ. While I confess to constantly falling short of His holiness, He has renewed within me the hope and idealism I once misplaced in fallible messiahs like Eugene McCarthy and Jimmy Carter.

Owing one’s allegiance to the Lord alone can put one in a pretty lonely position, though. The Clinton years provided all the clay pigeons I needed for my routine political skeet shoots. I have no doubt that Democrats will continue to supply a steady stream of easy targets in the months and years to come. Just look at Jesse Jackson…

But today, I must draw a bead on the Bush administration.

I have been a Bob Barr fan for many years. The Georgia congressman stood up to the Clinton corruption when GOP legislators in every direction were packing their tents and leaving town faster than the Ringling Brothers on moving day. He introduced a bill demanding the impeachment of Bubba long before the country had ever heard of Monica Lewinsky.

This is a man with guts.

I do not contest his right to introduce a bill authorizing the US government to assassinate foreign leaders as a matter of public policy. Personally, I think it’s a bad bill that could easily blow up in our collective faces the next time a Fidel Castro or Saddam Hussein decides to play tit-for-tat. Remember John F. Kennedy? But I do believe Congressman Barr is acting in good faith while proposing such flawed legislation.

Here is where my problem arises with the Bush administration. Last week, the US State Department joined the banshee chorus wailing against Israel for allowing the targeting and execution of military leaders and known terrorists who, by their actions, have declared war on the Jewish state.

Secretary of State Colin Powell sang lead soprano. Not only did he announce his opposition to the targeting of terrorists by Israel, he shared his opinion by phone with one of the greatest terrorists of all time, PA chairman Yassir Arafat.

Understandably, Israeli spokesmen did not miss a beat in defense of their "eye for an eye" policy, which they described as preferable to mass reprisals against the Palestinian people.

So, here we have either a divided Republican power-base, at best, or a hypocritical one, at worst, telling the world that Israel is wrong to execute its enemies without a trial but demanding the right for America’s paid killers to do exactly the same thing.

Not even Bill Clinton, with his own nauseous parade of dead bodies trailing him like a permanent funeral procession, had the chutzpah to attempt legalizing assassination.

Yet that bill comes to us from the Republicans. Frankly, I’m confused.

We know that "W" supports the death penalty…for convicted murderers. Yet, he claims to be pro-life when it comes to protecting the unborn. It should be interesting to see how he comes down on the issue of killing those high and mighty persons who may one day sit across from him at the bargaining table.

Fair is fair. If President Bush signs Bob Barr’s "Bill 007" into law, I, for one, believe he owes an apology to every sniper in the Israeli Defense Force.

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