Second Term Blues (guess who)

[babylonsister]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070320/second-term-blues


Second Term Blues

TOM RAUM AP

WASHINGTON — With every unfolding crisis, President Bush is finding fewer allies in his corner. Republicans are ever more nervous about the Iraq war, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' problems, FBI abuses of the Patriot Act and the botched treatment of war wounded at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

As Bush and congressional Democrats clashed on Tuesday over the Gonzales matter, even the Republicans still standing with the president on Iraq were having a hard time supporting him on domestic measures, reluctant to take stands that could be used against them politically. In fact, supporting the president on Iraq may be making it easier for them to oppose him on other measures unpopular with their constituents.

"I think Republicans are in a very awkward position of having to defend a number of indefensible acts," said GOP strategist Scott Reed. "It's causing them to move into the every-man-for-himself mode."

These have not been good days for the administration. The Senate voted 94-2 on Tuesday to end Gonzales' authority to fill U.S. attorney vacancies without Senate confirmation. The House is to vote this week on a war spending bill that would effectively withdraw U.S. combat troops by fall 2008. Competing threats of presidential vetoes and congressional subpoenas fill the air.

More and more, there's less Bush can do to reward Republicans for backing him _ or punish those who don't.

more...

[tblue]

1. So the scumbags are 'nervous' and 'reluctant' to oppose * NOW. But they had no problem falling in

lockstep behind him before the midterm elections, even when they KNEW he was wrong, lying, cheating, stealing,