Novak: GOP facing 'perfect storm'

[chiburb]

Today's Chi Sun-Times:

Snip:

In nearly half a century of Congress-watching, I frequently have observed senators of a president's own party head for the lifeboats when any storm -- perfect or not -- approaches.

Today's Senate Republicans have not reached that point, but fear and anxiety among them is palpable.

Snip:

Bush political adviser Karl Rove always has predicted a close presidential election for 2004, just as he did for 2000. Republican senators now realize Rove was not kidding, and they no longer laugh at Howard Dean challenging Bush for the presidency. Pollster John Zogby calls this a 50-50 country and Bush a 50-50 presidency.

Given those odds, arrogance and deception are too great a burden at either the White House or Pentagon.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak11.html

[Brucey]

1. But arrogance and deception

have been and continue to be the modus operani at the White House.

[Cheswick2.0]

2. Novak talking about Arrogance and deception?

Fitting I guess for the neo-con tool.

[chiburb]

4. Not quite Ches...

I'd call Nofacts a "paleocon". He is not a "blind supporter" of Israel, he was against the Iraq invasion. I'd put him in more of a Buckley, Buchanan mold than one of the PNACers...
In other words, just an old conservative fart. But without the Pax Americana bullshit of the neocons.

[dennis4868]

6. Thats....

a great description of Novak!

[TacticalPeek]

8. Also, more politically knowledgeable,

and understands how the sausage gets ground in Washington. Better institutional memory, or more fortitude to face the memories.

[BJ]

3. Yep, for once the Grinning Death's Head's got it right.

Eight Repugs voted for the Harkin Amendment blocking new (slave)Labor Department overtime rules.

The smart Repugs (and fortunately they are few and far between) may start thinking about jumping the ship of state.

[grytpype]

5. No-facts says Rummy is gone by early next year.

Not a moment too soon, and just a start of the housecleaning America needs to do... get the damned bats out of the belfry for fuck's sake.

[Grins]

7. My favorite line..

"Bunning was joined by Senators Jeff Sessions of Alabama, James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Jon Kyl of Arizona in complaining about lack of information on how much Iraq is going to cost....What's politically significant is that these four Republicans are hard-core conservatives and Bush loyalists who believe they have been MISLED BY THE PENTAGON."

Not the White House, but THE PENTAGON! The guys that warned the White House, the Congress, and the public on the difficulties about going into a war on the cheap, and trying to manage a hostile population. It used to "It's Clinton's fault!", now "It's the Pentagon's fault!" No shame at all.

[Kolesar]

9. What is great is that Bill Frist is a second-rate majority leader

He has the slimmest of majorities and he has not held his partisans together very well. It is only going to get worse for him as Resident* Bush's approval skids downward.

[DemoVet]

10. Frist has the personality of a cinderblock

He was a surgeon, for chrissake. And an animal abuser, to boot.

[Manix]

11. Bush doesn't have the balls to fire anyone

so if Rumsfeld goes he will have to resign.