Downing Street Memo - Will It Matter?

Clearly, when George W. Bush was elected to a second term as President, Democratic attempts to sway voters by pointing out any multitude of lies by Bush and his administration fell on deaf ears.

So with the focus on the Downing Street Memo, and the fact it further points out how Bush and his administration lied to Americans and the world in the run-up to the invasion on Iraq, is this something that will make any difference, or is this a matter that will once again fall on deaf ears?

So far the mainstream media has be slow to see any news in the matter. The alternative press and blogosphere have kept the DSM in the news, and begrudgingly, it would seem, the MSM has now begun more widely reporting on the matter.

Democratic leaders have also been reticent to make much hay of the memos. Those that have find themselves banished to basements for their hearings.

There are differences between the tactics of a Presidential election and the watchdog stance of an opposition party. The Democrats found out the hard way that they needed to make more arguments as to why the nation should elect John Kerry, as opposed to focusing too much on why the nation should not re-elect George W. Bush. They were convinced by the pundits that the election was a referendum on Bush's first term, and their strategy didn't work.

These days, at least until the next election cycle, Democrats do have an opportunity to call out this administration and Bush on the way they misled the nation about the reasons for invading Iraq, and WMDs. The DSM provides yet another opportunity. However, while polls indicate that 59% disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation with Iraq (including 23% of Republicans and 62% of Independents), it is far from clear that the "Bush Lied" tactic will succeed here any more than it did before.

A winning formula to defeat Republicans must require a positive Democratic vision for the future that can be clearly defined and plainly spoken. Americans have always been distrustful of politicians, so claiming that one lied is rarely considered a revelation, regardless of the position. Since so much of Republican support derives from constituents who's lives are based on faith, it will take far more than a memo from a foreign source to topple their main crusader from the lofty esteem that they hold for him.

Just what it will take is yet to be determined, and surely it will be an accumulation of many things, but just don't hold your breath hoping the DSM will be the downfall of this administration. (nwphtt52)