The Irrelevance of President George W. Bush

Adam Nagourney's piece in today's Times, GOP Contenders Ponder What To Say About Bush, is a interesting story for the simple fact that it's even a story.

We cannot imagine what the GOP has left to ponder.

If the Republican Party is unwilling to talk honestly and openly over the next 19 months (including in their Primary) about 6 years of failed Bush White House policies, then the GOP in the 2008 general election will win 76% of the Republicans and the 32% of the national public who currently believe that Bush is doing a satisfactory job.

Running against our dog we don't think those two voting blocks take you over the mountain electorally in a '08 general election contest.

It fact, we know you ain't going to make it.

We can't believe that 2 of the 3 leading Republican candidates for President don't understand this.

We can't believe that the Republican Party as a whole doesn't understand this.

Katrina happened. The mismanagement of the War in Iraq happened. An explosion of federal spending happened. Gonzales happened.

Ok, Gonzales is nothing but a bug on the windshield of history. But his appointment to AG is still annoying.

If the GOP hedges on talking honestly about Bush's failures or the Party hedges on a "vision" for insuring that Bush's mistakes don't happen again, they are dead in the '08 general.

It won't matter if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee or not.

Folks wonder if the Democrats will be able to make the '08 election a referendum on President Bush.

They already are. On the ground in New Hampshire. For their Primary election.

And it's only going to get easier once one of them gets to the general election and fights a Republican nominee who has spent the last 10 months sucking up to Bush and his merry band of "I'm more a steadfast Republican than you are" idiots.

So our message to the Republican Wise Men is this - The Cowboy Governor was a lot of fun while he lasted.

Let's move on and try not to be stupid.