Going Down On Bush

Sometimes you just have to wonder what world Republicans live in.

Take a look at Bush's historical Gallop poll approval numbers when broken down by party affiliation:

Following the heated election contest of 2000, Bush enjoyed pretty typical approval ratings. Republicans were naturally gleeful, Independents were split down the middle, and Democrats were mostly bummed out and down in the dumps their guy had lost.

Then we had the 9/11 attacks. A nation in grief and anger rallied around its leader and Bush could do no wrong. Republican numbers went as high as 99%!

Since then it has been all downhill, with the exception of some temporary bumps, when the Iraq War was supposedly won in May 2003, and following the capture of Saddam Hussein.

However the rate of decline has differed greatly depending on party affiliation. While Democratic approval has dropped 92% from the 9/11 high, and Independent approval has dropped 64%, Republican approval has only dropped 20%. Nevertheless, the latest polls has Republican approval numbers under 80% for the first time in Bush's presidency.

After all the problems the Bush administration has suffered through, somehow George W. still has the backing of 80% of his party. What's the man gotta do before more jump off the bandwagon? Start biting the heads off of whippets in public?

I mean, you may like his simple (or simpleton ways), his "I'm just a regular guy" persona, but how can that make up for the mounting evidence of incompetence? How do you dismiss the mess that is the Iraqi occupation,and the growth of global terrorism now taking form in the U.S. made Iraqi incubator? How do you ignore the stagnant economy, huge budget deficit and national debt, and now rising inflation? How do you explain that a Republican House and Senate have been unable to do much of anything in five years other than to try to bury one ethics charge after another, and that Bush's own second term agenda is as worthless as used toilet paper?

Maybe what it will take for Republicans to really sour of George W. is for the Bush effect to hurt more of their own, for more candidates to find campaigning in his shadow harder.

Certainly over the coming year we will have plenty of opportunity to observe just how damaging Bush will become to the Republican cause, within their own reality distortion field. We've already seen the devastation he has wrought on the nation and the world.

Where's Monica Lewinsky when you need her?