The Moose maintains that a Democratic Congress may be the least of the President's worries. “It makes it look like they have a confused policy,” he said. "Now the question will be, every day, what are the parameters of flexibility?”
The Republicans are desperately attempting to hold onto power. The latest evidence of the GOP panic is the despicable ad that the RNC financed against Harold Ford in Tennessee. Yesterday, the President rushed to give a press conference to attempt to buck up the dispirited grass roots.
But, what the White House should truly fear is the impending split between the Congressional Republicans and the Bushies. Regardless of whether Republicans maintain control over the House and the Senate, GOP members will have no reason to suppress their dissatisfaction any longer. Although the Bushies deeply fear the subpoena wielding Democrats, they should also be very concerned over the rebellious ones in their own party. As 41 learned, there is nothing more devastating to a Presidency than when there is open internal party civil strife.
Even before the ballots are counted, Republicans are openly expressing their dissatisfaction. A few years ago, GOPers would not even cross the White House off the record out of fear that the Political Office of the White House would discover their identity and they would be spirited off to the Bushies' equivalent of the political gulag. Today's New York Times,
"Tony Fabrizio, a pollster working for several Republican candidates, said the president did his party more harm than good by highlighting a troublesome issue and seeming to change course so close to Election Day.
"By allowing violence and disorder to spread throughout the country, the Bush administration has broken faith with the Iraqi people and ignored its responsibilities. It has placed U.S. security in jeopardy by creating the preconditions for the sort of terrorist safe haven the president repeatedly warns about and by demonstrating that no ally can rely on America to be there when it counts."
It is inconceivable that McNamara (error intended) will remain as Secretary of Defense next year. Of course, it is astounding that he has lasted this long in the post. However, Republicans will be unburdened after November 7th in expressing their opposition to the Administration's hapless strategy.
In 1988, all Republican Presidential candidates were running as "Reagan Republicans." In contrast, expect a couple of GOP candidates in 2008 to expressly run against the Bush legacy.
In a certain sense, the White House could benefit from having the Democrats control one chamber of Congress. That way they will have a political enemy - a foil. But that will provide little solace. One way or the other, Republicans will increasingly express their independence from a White House that has often treated them with an arrogant contempt.
White House - beware the elephant. -- | 
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