Since 9-11, Bush's consistent political advantage has been the public's confidence in him to handle the terrorist threat. The Iraq war has weakened Bush's edge, and now the Dubai ports misstep may destroy it. This has become a troubled and tone-deaf Presidency. |
Since Vietnam, the Democratic Party has been viewed as the weaker on national security issues. Who better to make the case than veterans of the war? It's hard to accuse them of a lack of patriotism. |
So each new justice has a major, really a tremendous impact on individual lives, on the exercise of our rights and responsibilities and I think most Americans already know that but they will be reminded in a dramatic fashion during the hearings. |
Sure, they will be more independent. But my point is that as a Republican Congress, they will still be more supportive than not. |
That is a major problem for President Bush and the Republicans. The Democrats are bound to benefit from it in the mid-term elections of 2006. The question is, to what degree? |
That would make sense. Norman is obviously the national party's choice. |
That's all anyone was talking about this morning. It's the only thing people know about this, and it just made the nominee seem more human and sympathetic. |
That's not quite what the critics had in mind. This is minimal change. |
That's the great danger of the Republican candidates. If the president's popularity is low come November, there will be a substantial turnover and the Republicans will lose seats. |
The amazing thing is that they have permitted their consultants to run a vicious and nasty race, |
The American people have turned against the war, and they're not turning back. |
The Bush administration simply cannot let this happen. They have to stop this one way or the other. It would make a mockery of much of what President Bush has about our creation of a new democracy in Afghanistan. |
The Congress reads the polls; they know that the president is not where he was once and they're on the ballot next November. |
The debt is going to be crushing. |
The Democratic base is as energized as I've ever known it to be. Bush is hated, and that's all the invective you need. |