It is obvious that the national Republican Party is being run by a gang of idiots who are determined to drive it to extinction.

A good example is their support of animal-hater Sarah Palin, who delights in making cruel jokes about the slaughter of wildlife, wants to drill for oil in pristine forests and did everything possible to kill all Alaskan wolves.

In her address before the National Rifle Association conference, Palin stated that “Bambi’s mother was dinner.” She ­previously joked that “Alaskan wildlife will always have a place, right next to the mashed potatoes.”

By aligning the party with anti-environmental Palin, the Republicans have ­alienated the millions of voters who are ­concerned with our environmental future. I suspect that Palin is accepting money from oil company lobbyists to push their “drill everywhere” agenda.

Palin is so obnoxious that, when compared with Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi comes out looking like the reincarnation of Mother Teresa. If I had a choice between voting for one or the other, Pelosi, whose policies are thoroughly abhorrent to me, would win hands down.

The same Republican idiocy is reflected in the selection of Michael Steele as chairman of the national committee in an effort to secure the black vote, which will never happen.

The adequacy of Steele’s qualifications for the job has already been called into question by the expenditure of party funds for visits to strip clubs and by his own extravagances. The party alignment with the radical policies of the National Rifle Association is also a negative. The old days when crooked politicians made decisions in smoke-filled rooms now look better and better.

Earle Hightower

Pinehurst