Distance from Bush seems key to '08 race

[rainbow4321]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/3397429

Back when President Bush was riding high — before much of the public turned sour on Iraq, before some conservatives got mad about his increased federal spending and his Harriet Miers nomination — it was widely assumed that the 2008 Republican presidential candidates would vie amongst themselves for the right to proudly carry their leader's torch. That doesn't seem to be happening.

Republican hopefuls — as many as a dozen men who already are jockeying for advantage — don't want to be perceived as insiders and heirs to the Bush political establishment. On the contrary, most of them are trying to advertise their independence, to distance themselves from Bush on key issues, to appear as rebels fed up with Washington.

But the woes plaguing Bush — including the scandals involving indicted powerhouse Tom DeLay and well-wired lobbyist Jack Abramoff (a GOP conservative activist when he first came to town), as well as the legal cloud hovering over Bush strategist Karl Rove — are playing havoc with the traditional GOP respect for hierarchy.

"The scandals we're facing are the consequences of being in power so long," said Matthew Continetti, a conservative analyst who is writing a book about the Republican Party

[Deja Q]

1. They will win in 2008.

And will reign in spending by cutting social programs.

People don't like *.

That doesn't mean they're going to blindly vote Dem.

Many are just pissed at high prices.

hell, I also believe that plenty of Americans still think that another repubbie would rescind all the corporate-slant laws being set up. :eyes:

[asjr]

5. Toad, you may have something there. Those Repubs

who are distancing themselves from Bush are doing it only for their own political skins. They do not want to lose their seats in Congress and will eat their own in order to keep them. It does not necessarily follow that Dems will win.

[yourout]

2. "The scandals we're facing are the consequences of being in power so long,

Pleeeeeze......The scandals they're facing are the consequences of being lieing sacks of S##t!

[PDittie]

3. And this is why Dems will retake the House

Because the Repukes are all staying in lockstep with DeLay.

Good on 'em. :evilgrin:

[realFedUp]

4. sending the money to China for extra crispy laundering

follow the money.