A Short Story

An abbreviated look at the media's take on the current state of the Republican Party.  

From the New York Times:

Republican defeat...waves of apprehension across an already troubled party...heavy losses in the fall...a once-steadfast Republican district...foreshadowing more losses for the party in November...the Republican label seems tarnished...level of distress was evident...issued a dire warning...the Republican Party had been severely damaged...could lose 20 seats in the House and 6 in the Senate...putting into play Southern seats that were once solidly Republican...the string of Republican losses suggested a problem with the Republican label...a tense, private post-mortem...worried House Republicans demanded that their leadership come up with a plan to stave off potentially devastating losses...vast dissatisfaction, frustration and discouragement...The Republican brand is down...the results in these special elections portend ominously for House Republicans...some expressed despair about the months ahead...

The Associated Press:

Stunned House Republicans...their third straight election defeat in once-friendly territory...the worst since Watergate and far more toxic than the fall of 2006 when we lost 30 seats...President Bush is unpopular...Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee enjoyed a cash advantage of $44 million to $7 million...that had been in Republican hands for three decades...necessitated by resignations by incumbent Republicans...backfire...We're not going to be able to scare people into voting Republican... the loss of three seats in special elections was a significant blow... They are canaries in the coal mine, warning of far greater losses in the fall...leaves Republicans with only 199 seats, compared with 236 for the Democrats...fathered a child out of wedlock...given the party's financial problems...

And the Washington Post:

House Republicans turned on themselves yesterday...contemplating widespread Democratic gains in November...decried their leadership as out of touch with the political catastrophe they face..."The Change You Deserve" -- came under mocking fire...mirrors the advertising slogan for the antidepressant Effexor...a deficiency in our message and a loss of confidence in the American people...loss in northern Mississippi was devastating...Republicans face a flood of retirements...badly damaged by scandals...Republican strategists were downcast...fail to understand the deep seeded antipathy toward the President, the war, gas prices, the economy, foreclosures...a tense closed-door meeting...I've never seen members so frustrated or demoralized...

Good times.

•  Let us pause in a moment of sadness for the loss

  of our respected enemies.
  .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... ................................................................
  done?
  Now, let's finish pushing them off the cliff!
  Push!!

  by RElland on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:57:26 AM PDT

  •  RElland

    I once heard someone say of a deeply bad man, "If he were on fire, I wouldn't even piss on him to put it out."

    The Republican Party is in flames. Bring the marshmellows.

    by Carnacki on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:01:02 AM PDT

    •  Hey, not so fast

      let me get the hot dogs.

      by glutz78 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:02:09 AM PDT

      •  I'll bring the gasoline

        by raboof on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:07:02 AM PDT

    •  Piss on him? Where do I sign up?

      by Yoshimi on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:07:36 AM PDT

      •  Hey! Some of Us Are Not "Capable,"

        so I'll make s'mores and make sure the wieners don't burn.

        by CityLightsLover on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:15:56 AM PDT

        •  So, the Rats are deserting the Fuhrer Bunker!

          Good riddance to bad trash!

          I honestly don't know why they are so upset! Are all the good lobbying jobs already taken? None of the developers who used to bribe them willing to offer them employment? Surely there is always a place for a good con-man who's lost his post?

          by Cugel on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:57:56 AM PDT

        •  CityLights, we can put it in a cup

          and pour it on later, OK?

          by Brooke In Seattle on Fri May 16, 2008 at 09:10:19 AM PDT

          •  "Peein' in a Cup" for a Good Cause!

            Okee-dokee...

            by CityLightsLover on Fri May 16, 2008 at 09:57:11 AM PDT

    •  Pissing on fires

      That's a good expression. "I wouldn't piss on him if he were on fire; hate to waste good piss."

      by NegSpin on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:13:59 AM PDT

      •  Carville, when he wasn't calling someone Judas,

        once said of a political opponent, "I wouldn't piss down his throat if his heart was on fire."

        by Greasy Grant on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:22:03 AM PDT

    •  I'll Bring Hersheys & Graham Crackers

      for s'mores!

      by CityLightsLover on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:14:48 AM PDT

    •  The way I heard it, Carnacki,

      was "I wouldn't piss in his mouth if his guts were on fire."

      by godislove on Sat May 17, 2008 at 07:58:19 AM PDT

  •  It's kind of difficult for me to show sadness

    with a big Ole sh!t eatin grin on my face. : D

    heh

    by KozmoD on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:03:55 AM PDT

    •  Silly

      that's what leaning on someone's shoulder is for. It hides the smiles.
      :D

      by RElland on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:32:57 AM PDT

    •  Yeah, me too--

      this made my day!  Rainy & cold today; but this brings sunshine to my life.  Heh--couldn't have happened to a more deserving bunch.

      by Youffraita on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:58:18 AM PDT

  •  DAMN RIGHT ROUND 'EM UP!!!

    by Churchill on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:43:09 AM PDT

  •  SHOVE SHOVE !!!!!!

    ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~

    ~if you're not outraged then you're not paying attention~move sooner, not faster~
    ~for those with eyes to see, let them see~

    by ArthurPoet on Fri May 16, 2008 at 09:01:36 AM PDT

  •  Would Lincoln be a Republican today?

    More likely he would still be a Whig. There is no Republican Party today. It's a mirage. The neocons should be forced out of mainstream American politics and actual conservatives need to retake the Party of Lincoln and Eisenhower.

    by mcartri on Fri May 16, 2008 at 09:11:26 AM PDT

  •  I love it when a plan comes together! nt

    by faster democrat kill kill on Fri May 16, 2008 at 09:36:24 AM PDT

•  "This is the floor"

  We're dancing on it!

  Yes, I've said that before.  So what? I'm dancing!

  by SteamPunkX on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:57:44 AM PDT

  •  Floor will be lower, GOP DONE GONE

    by Churchill on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:44:19 AM PDT

•  asdf

  It is only true once the traditional media decides.

  by BDA in VA on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:57:47 AM PDT

•  Even better

  Was Karl Rove's attempt to try to polish this mess.

  by Omen on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:57:51 AM PDT

  •  great diary

    and they won't get it right til they figure out how wrong they are.

    by lisastar on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:08:11 AM PDT

    •  That is exactly right, lisastar.

      It's why their meltdown is so utterly delicious.  

      by pasadena beggar on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:18:07 AM PDT

•  The permanent Republican majority

  didn't even last as long as the 1000 Reich.

  by shmuelman on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:57:54 AM PDT

  •  Simple reason for that.

    They forgot about Poland.

    by Windowdog on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:00:42 AM PDT

  •  Couldn't have happened

    to a better bunch of people.

    by Dont Just Stand There on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:01:29 AM PDT

  •  That's how it is with these things.

    They seldom last much longer than twelve years.

    by Larry McAwful on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:06:20 AM PDT

•  Republicans - out of touch

  soon to be out of office.

  by TigerMom on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:57:58 AM PDT

•  Turn the GOPers into the Whigs

  Finish them

  by jds1978 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:58:07 AM PDT

  •  my thought EXACTLY, but these termites

    will just crawl back into their holes and launch another political party.

    by Churchill on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:43:55 AM PDT

•  Can't scare people into voting GOP

  That's going to be a big one this year, provided we don't get more Orange Alert bullshit.  I'm fully expecting terror alerts this year, when we haven't had any for 4 years.  And I'm fully prepared to call bullshit on all of them.

  I don't think it's going to work, but I expect the desparate GOP to play the fear card one more time, the good ol' "Vote GOP or Die" routine.

  It should be soundly rejected when it comes.

  by Norm in Chicago on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:58:52 AM PDT

  •  Well, "bin Laden" released another tape today.

    Right on schedule.

    by raboof on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:08:02 AM PDT

    •  Just another reminder

      That they still have not caught him. What a bunch of losers.

      by alkalinesky on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:28:06 AM PDT

  •  Also

    they're running out of states in which to put teh gay on the ballot.  That bullet only fires once, and they used most of them in 2004.

    by jarhead5536 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:19:11 AM PDT

  •  al-Qaeda surely will WANT to help McCain

    get elected, since the Republican brand of American policy is the best recruiting tool for their attacks on secular governments in Muslim countries since the murder of Ali.  
    I'm expecting the real thing.  Suicide bomber from Toronto into Cleveland to Washington to blow up the Monica Lewinski monument.  No wait...there isn't one?
    Never mind.

    by Silliman71 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 09:11:03 AM PDT

•  Now they can have a bloody war among themselves,

  instead of starting unnecessary ones in the Middle East.
  Bunch of Bozos!

  by Lepanto on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:58:57 AM PDT

  •  This fratricidal war will be a pleasure to

    watch as it unfolds....the repugs without money...that's the best part - no one to bribe quiet

    by daliscar on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:01:00 AM PDT

•  Barb

  At West Virginia Blue I usually accompany posts like these for Bush Republican Shelley Moore Capito with music to accompany it.

  by Carnacki on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:59:04 AM PDT

  •  Ha!

    It would be nice to photoshop your Republican of choice in place of swimming girl.  ;-)

    by BarbinMD on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:05:09 AM PDT

    •  Barb

      I'll have to get our local photo shop on it. That would be cool.

      Anne Barth is a great candidate to take her on. If you get the chance to meet her take it.

      O/T, no YearlyCarnacki this year on Memorial Day. Probably try to organize something in June. I've got a family visit to make and I kept hoping to do that earlier, but with all the primary business I couldn't get it done so the only time I can do it is Memorial Day. I had suggested to someone else of the Memorial Day meetup continuing anyway, but she suggested to push it back to June.

      by Carnacki on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:09:00 AM PDT

      •  Well

        ...it can't be a YearlyCarnacki without a Carnacki.

        by BarbinMD on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:46:30 AM PDT

  •  Accompany

    I need more coffee to accompany my posting this morning.

    by Carnacki on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:06:08 AM PDT

•  Here's to 40 more years!

  Permanent MajMinority.

  by RequestedUsername on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:59:06 AM PDT

•  But, but what about the flag pin?

  And gay marriage? And capital gains taxes? These are the issues that REAL Americans care about, aren't they?

  by Morlock on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:59:21 AM PDT

  •  Now that Oback is wearing a flag pin

    the meme is that he is pandering to the white vote.

    by entlord1 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:15:50 AM PDT

•  Set the egg timer for the GOP resurgent stories

  I'll pick 3 months, any other guesses?

  by Windowdog on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:59:27 AM PDT

  •  and I bet

    Broder will be the first to write about it!

    by BDA in VA on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:01:17 AM PDT

  •  3 minutes?

    I am already hearing proposals that Hillary should mount a third party effort if she doesn't get the nomination. I think they are calling for Bloomberg as VP.

    by entlord1 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:06:17 AM PDT

•  mark my words

  McCain is at his high point in the polls right now. Clinton will drop out of the race in a couple weeks, the party will unite behind our candidate, Obama will receive a huge bump in the polls, and it will be all downhill from there for McCain.

  by Yirmiyahu on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:00:17 AM PDT

  •  Especially if he contradicts himself

    every time he opens is mouth.  He is so old, he has no idea that most everything he has said in the past can be found with some "googling".  He's a tired old candidate from a tired old party and their hard times are a beautiful sight.

    by Molly M on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:12:08 AM PDT

  •  Yep, been saying it for weeks

    McSame is at his apex. The truth is that he doesn't have the temperment or preparation to handle the media's Eye of Mordor for any sustained length of time.

    It will start as a series of foot-in-mouth moments (which he's already been having as everyone is otherwise focussed on the Dem primary) that will snowball until somewhere, sometime, some reporter from Podunk who has never been to his little press BBQs will ask the wrong question and he'll pop his cork on camera.

    Game over.

    by kingubu on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:14:37 AM PDT

    •  I waiting for him

      to snap and beat the shit out of a reporter.  I think it could happen.

      by bythesea on Fri May 16, 2008 at 10:08:07 AM PDT

      •  er that should be "I'm" not "I" n/t

        by bythesea on Fri May 16, 2008 at 11:14:59 AM PDT

•  Good times indeed!!

  Is is wrong of me to be gleefully happy about all of this?!

  Karma is a b**ch.

  by BDsTrinity on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:00:32 AM PDT

  •  If lovin' the Repug downfall is wrong

    I don't wanna be right.

    by vacuumslayer on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:25:32 AM PDT

•  Nice diary. Good news, indeed.

      They deserve so much worse than the loss of their elected positions. But it would be a fine start.

  by Hillbilly Dem on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:01:20 AM PDT

  •  I've Already Suggested Alternate Employment

    "Falafel" fetchers for Mr. Bull Snort at FAUX News - along with Terry McAwful.

    by CityLightsLover on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:19:00 AM PDT

•  Happy Dance!! Woo hoo!

  by Jacques on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:01:52 AM PDT

•  Is the Game they played regarding voting Present

  on the Iraq funding Bill indication they really are stunned or that the Stunned is a headfake.

  by JML9999 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:02:04 AM PDT

•  This story is interesting, but what's the point?

  Constantly repeating stories like this carry the danger of lulling our side into complacency.

  Polls show that McCain is well ahead of other Republicans.  Make no mistake: he will be hard to defeat.

  We must never let up on messages, like the fact that Republicans in Washington give big business everything they want, and they give tax cuts to the rich while cutting programs that help us ordinary workers.

  by Bob B on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:02:22 AM PDT

  •  You mean

    ...besides being interesting?  I thought it was entertaining. Sometimes it is nice to kick someone when they're down.  ;-)

    by BarbinMD on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:07:07 AM PDT

  •  Kerry taught us the folly of that

    when GWB managed to pull out reelection as one of the most unpopular presidents around. The swiftboating took away our innocence and prepared us for the storm to come.

    by entlord1 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:07:28 AM PDT

    •  And, Senator Obama

      is not Senator Kerry.

      by CityLightsLover on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:20:23 AM PDT

  •  I Really Don't Think We Will Let Up

    But, it's nice to gloat a little!

    by CityLightsLover on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:19:53 AM PDT

  •  a couple of newspaper articles isn't going to

    make us complacent or careless.  We've been here a while, and we know what we're dealing with.  

    It's ok to do the happy dance today.  We earned it.

    by pasadena beggar on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:21:57 AM PDT

  •  I Think We Can Allow Ourselves

    a victory dance for a day or two before we get all grim again.

    ::Dancin' to the music of the chips falling where they may::

    by JG in MD on Fri May 16, 2008 at 09:13:46 AM PDT

•  couldn't happen to a more deserving

  bunch.  It sure took a long time, but there is some justice after all!

  by SottoVoce on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:02:59 AM PDT

•  They got this situation the old fashioned way

  They earned it; to be sure they would want the fruits of their labors. Anything less would not be fair.

  by entlord1 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:04:26 AM PDT

•  the jig is up, fellas

  couldn't happen to nicer bunch of corrupt, incompetent assclowns...

  "after the Rapture, we get all their shit"

  It's time: the albany project.

  by lipris on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:04:34 AM PDT

•  It's great news

  but, maybe it's my superstitious streak, I won't count them out until after November.  I just don't want to tempt fate.  All signs are good, but I put nothing past these people; they will stop at nothing.  I'm going to keep my expectations low and my gloating private.  (But in November I'll break out the champagne and shout from the rooftops!)

  by ItsJessMe on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:04:41 AM PDT

•  all good

  except that people who fight dirty never give up. There is always a Newt or Grover or Tom or Dick or Karl who relishes a challenge and is more than ready to offer a wide range of methods, illegal or not, to weaken and overtake the enemy.

  I hope to be around for another 40 years, but it is unlikely during that time I will ever trust a republican. (It will be hard enough to trust the spineless, selfish democrats we now have in congress.) The republican party cannot possibly undo the carnage heaped upon America since Reagan anytime soon, even if they wanted to. And we know they don't ...they have simply been caught with their pants down.

  Anyone who operates with ethics and fairness would not want to be associated with this party in the forseeable future.

  by lisastar on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:04:57 AM PDT

  •  L A Times on Obama's Iraq Plans

    In an article in todays Los Angles Times details how Obama continues to refuse to pledge to remove all US troops from Iraq by the end of 2013. As the article states-

    "Obama has emphasized his plan to withdraw all combat brigades within
    16 months of taking office, but also has carefully hedged, leaving
    the option of taking more time -- and leaving more troops -- if events require."

    All the more reason to vote for who ever you want, but to keep building an anti-war movement that will keep the pressure on whomever is in the White House.

    An important open national conference is coming up in Cleveland June 28 & 29 that is open to all opponents of the war. It will plan future anti-war protests that we are going to need badly. More information is available at- natassembly.org

    Obama and Clinton have both pledged to INCREASE the size of our military by 90,000+ soldiers. That is not the kind of change most Americans want.

    by First Light on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:13:19 AM PDT

•  351! Meteor Blades our bet is still on!

  no matter how much good news BarbinMD shares with US!

  by tnichlsn on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:06:07 AM PDT

  •  Yes, it is! Starting to look as if it's a good ..

    ...thing I didn't bet my mortgage.

    by Meteor Blades on Fri May 16, 2008 at 03:34:05 PM PDT

•  Remember the good ol days when every action

  by a Democratic politician was going to split the party?

  Good times.

  by Yoshimi on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:06:57 AM PDT

•  another

  I was just reading this one in the WSJ. (Maybe sub required.)

  By PEGGY NOONAN

  Pity Party
  May 16, 2008

  ...
  The Republicans? Busy dying. The brightest of them see no immediate light. They're frozen, not like a deer in the headlights but a deer in the darkness, his ears stiff at the sound. Crunch. Twig. Hunting party.
  ...
  What happens to the Republicans in 2008 will likely be dictated by what didn't happen in 2005, and '06, and '07. The moment when the party could have broken, on principle, with the administration – over the thinking behind and the carrying out of the war, over immigration, spending and the size of government – has passed. What two years ago would have been honorable and wise will now look craven. They're stuck.

  Mr. Bush has squandered the hard-built paternity of 40 years. But so has the party, and so have its leaders. If they had pushed away for serious reasons, they could have separated the party's fortunes from the president's. This would have left a painfully broken party, but they wouldn't be left with a ruined "brand," as they all say, speaking the language of marketing. And they speak that language because they are marketers, not thinkers. Not serious about policy. Not serious about ideas. And not serious about leadership, only followership.
  ...

  by OLinda on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:07:01 AM PDT

  •  Now she doesn't like GWB?

    What happened to her swoons over his manly codpiece?

    by entlord1 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:08:35 AM PDT

    •  "Steely-Eyed Rocket Man"

      She once called him that.  The mind reels; the flesh crawls.

      by Tuffie on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:21:42 AM PDT

  •  After the election Peggy will be gone too.

    by raboof on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:09:56 AM PDT

    •  I bet not

      like the bride of Dracula, she always seems to be in a sequel.

      by entlord1 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:17:13 AM PDT

  •  That's a Fairly ...

    powerful indictment, much as I choose not to admire Ms. Morning Again in America.

    Contrast that with Dr. Karl Rove's prescription for what ails Republicans:

    What is clear is that John McCain and Republicans will prevail only if they convince voters that there are profound consequences at stake in Iraq, and that more and better jobs will follow from the GOP's approach of lowering taxes, opening trade, and ending earmarks and other pro-growth policies.

    Keep serving up that poisonous cocktail, turdblossom.

    by D in Northern Virginia on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:14:41 AM PDT

    •  And he's supposed to be a genius? n/t

      by bythesea on Fri May 16, 2008 at 10:15:35 AM PDT

  •  Since they are

    Busy dying. The brightest of them see no immediate light.

    if they do see a bright light, I suggest they stay away from it. Or not.

    by Sassy on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:20:23 AM PDT

  •  Oh, give me a break Peggy.

    I just LOVE how she talks about "them", like she hasn't been up the Republican Party's ass for 20 yrs.

    Lisa

    by Boston to Salem on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:37:48 AM PDT

•  Clearance sale on Rubber Stamps in Aisle 3

  by smithnewyork on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:07:13 AM PDT

•  Any R to D flips next January

  Similar to the few that happened in 1995?  Anyone think any R that survives November may consider switching?

  I tend to doubt it but you never know.

  by RedStateDem on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:07:53 AM PDT

  •  Too late for John McCain this time

    I wish Lieberman would do it the other way and just get it over with.

    by Molly M on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:14:28 AM PDT

  •  I kinda doubt it, too.

    There's a piece by Peggy Noonan posted by OLinda a few lines up in this thread where she points out that while breaking with Bush would have made Republicans look heroic in 2005, it would only make them look craven now.  Similarly, with the Republican Party getting ready to dock next to the Titanic pretty soon, jumping ship and joining the Democrats would only make them look craven right now, as well.

    Had they bailed a few years ago, people like Lincoln Chafee, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins might still be relevent.  Now there's no way they could join the Democrats and still look credible.  Actually, I take that back about Chafee—if he ran for office again, as a Democrat, making it clear to the voters that he's learned his lesson, he could probably win.  The only job he could run for in the foreseeable future would be Governor of Rhode Island in 2010, which isn't a bad gig at all.  But his Down East colleagues don't have that luxury.  If Collins or Snowe switched to the Democratic Party now, they'd just look like opportunists.  Their time has passed.

    Honestly, I can't think of any other Republicans in Congress who could comfortably switch even if they didn't have to worry about looking like craven opportunists.  They're in a bad, bad way.

    I bet Louisiana's John Kennedy sure feels like a chump now!

    by Larry McAwful on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:17:29 AM PDT

    •  When was the last time a Repug had a problem

      with being a craven opportunist?  :)

      Seriously, IF Collins survives I wouldn't mind having her and Snowe switch sides.  Yes, they would look like opportunists but it would get us closer to 60 votes (although the could vote with us and not change).  Anyway just a thought.

      by RedStateDem on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:22:24 AM PDT

•  it couldn't be happening

  to a more deserving bunch of creeps.  

  by mffarrow on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:08:12 AM PDT

  •  If there were a God

    Tom Delay would be approaching the halfway mark to parole instead of pontificating on various Fox talk shows.

    by entlord1 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:09:34 AM PDT

•  This is good now . . .

  But, what will happen in the future?  We seemed to have completely omitted the term "October Surprise" from our collective vocabulary.  As long as GWB is in office, and Karl Rove continues to walk the streets as a free man, we are in terrible peril.

  The price of freedom is eternal vigilance

  by dditt on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:08:13 AM PDT

  •  Rove and Kissenger remind me of each other

    Each one still commenting as if he were the power behind the throne, still behaving as if his smallest gesture should cause heads of state to quake and not understanding their moment in the sun is past (unless there is a shortage of wooden stakes)

    by entlord1 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:10:52 AM PDT

•  They might need some Effexor nt

  by Hedwig on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:08:55 AM PDT

•  Damn, BarbinMD

  This is almost as much fun as C&J.

  by teeb on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:09:02 AM PDT

•  Schadenfreude

  I'm lovin' this and plan on stocking up on the champaign for November.

  Along with some just desserts!

  by pattisigh on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:09:16 AM PDT

•  I'm printing these stories out.

  Then hopefully my wife will read them to me at bedtime, and I'll have pleasant dreams.

  by Larry McAwful on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:09:32 AM PDT

•  Well, their problems

  will keep mounting if, at last, they are held accountable for the lies and stupidity that exits their collective pie holes.

  Appeasement:

  by KibbutzAmiad on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:09:56 AM PDT

•  Future headline

  More Bush Cabinet Members Arrested, Charged with Treason
  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attorney General John Edwards announced yesterday that a series of early-morning raids has swept up the last members of George W. Bush's cabinet who remained at large.
  In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Edwards called the raids "[an] important step toward national reconciliation" and vowed to continue his efforts to extradite the former President from Paraguay.

  by willie horton on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:10:12 AM PDT

  •  Hey

    that's my dream...John Edwards as AG.

    Go get 'em, John!

    by pattisigh on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:16:29 AM PDT

•  UK Times: Repubs Suck Canal Water

  Bayonne Post-Gazette: God, Are They Screwed Now

  Los Angeles Herald-Brief: Dude, They Are So Done

  Santa Fe Observer: Do You Smell Burning Hair?

  Seattle Looker-Atter: Bring out Your Dead.

  And the beat goes on...

  by Rob Cole on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:10:22 AM PDT

  •  Seattle Looker-Atter, good one. LOL n/t

    by Sassy on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:24:49 AM PDT

    •  Please. Seattle: Most Literate City

      in America.

      That would not be the name of the paper.

      The headline, however, has great potential.

      by Brooke In Seattle on Fri May 16, 2008 at 09:38:41 AM PDT

      •  Satire:

        It is just for breakfast anymore.

        by Rob Cole on Fri May 16, 2008 at 11:23:07 AM PDT

•  Obama WIll Blast Bush Again At Noon. Dont Miss It

  by DFutureIsNow on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:10:41 AM PDT

•  And yet

  these numbskull repugs clung onto Bush with all their might, in spite of the fact that it was apparent he was taking them all down in flames.

  They still cling to him, they still play Bush's games.  They're certified idiots.

  The repugs brought this all on themselves and they still haven't learned.  I guess I should be happy about this, but unfortunately, while they took their party down in flames, they've also succeeded in taking down the country as well.

  I hope the repug party crumbles into dust and blows away.

  by edwardssl on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:11:17 AM PDT

  •  I think it's because

    they still don't believe that their "permanent majority" was temporary due to having overestimated and overreached their power and underestimated how much "we the people" are willing to tolerate.

    by Sassy on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:30:10 AM PDT

•  Hooray

  The ebb and flow of politics, it's finally flowing back, or as the economists say the market is correcting itself.

  by deluge99 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:12:53 AM PDT

•  The Republicans

  The Republicans have been a disgrace to this country, starting with the disgrace to humanity at the top of their ticket. Old Stupid, what's his name?

  Good riddance to the whole bad lot of them. Let them sink never to rise again.

  by NegSpin on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:13:06 AM PDT

•  As someone who benefits from Effexor...

  ...I resent the repubs co-opting that slogan.

  Let's change it to: "Republicans - they're what's for breakfast."

  by RubDMC on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:13:22 AM PDT

  •  If Americans are so sick of Republicans...

    that we vote for Republicans to get the change we deserve, we need a whole series of anti-delusional drugs.

    by Greasy Grant on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:25:18 AM PDT

•  Ain't Life Grand?

  After all that thinking, feeling, moral, and ethical people have been through for so long, let us breathe and reflect. OK, Senator McCentury & neocon nutjob moranic (type intended) ilk, WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!

  by CityLightsLover on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:14:09 AM PDT

•  I find Joy in the fact that...

  Finally we are starting to be able to Laugh our Asses off at them. On the TV. And other places. Instead of taking them so seriously.
  As in "Oh, You have to be kidding!  -- Ha! tell me another whopper!"

  by BehereBenow on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:15:17 AM PDT

  •  The Republicans Are Slowly Learning ...

    that credibility is as important as their oooh-so-precious brand of uhm, what is it again? Government cannot work? (Hmm, seems like the citizenry is getting ready to express iteself on this.) Fiscal responsibility? (That's a side-splitter round the ol' cracker barrel.) Foreign policy expertise? (Woot!)

    Whadayaknow. Down isn't up just because the Republicans' best and brightest tells us so.

    by D in Northern Virginia on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:29:41 AM PDT

•  History's Judgment will be far worse

  The Republicans had every opportunity to pass whatever they wanted to for many years.  And they couldn't think of anything which did not squander long-term American resources, prestige and power.  They have done nothing, nothing, that will be viewed favorably through the lens of history.  

  by smithnewyork on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:16:33 AM PDT

  •  if you own history you don't have to

    worry about history's judgment. That is where the war is now, as to who will write the history. The Reaganauts have had fair success at rewriting Ronnie's tenure and the Bushites have similar goals.
    Witness the editorial wars over the content of Wikipedia and the charges that special interests are controlling the script on so many topics.  

    by entlord1 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:20:42 AM PDT

  •  And, History's Judgement on

    "we the people" won't be so hot, either because we let this happen. Ugh...

    by CityLightsLover on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:24:09 AM PDT

    •  Agreed, explain the 2004 election to grandkids

      You see, people voted for Bush because ...

      we were at war?  but why were we at war?

      he cut taxes? -- but later we had to raise taxes to make up for it because he never cut spending

      oh, right, Bush was more patriotic and people were afraid gay people would get married

      by smithnewyork on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:30:33 AM PDT

•  Stop being so COCKY. They said the same of DEMS

  in 2002, 2004...

  by johnnyNYC on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:16:43 AM PDT

•  GOP=tainted dog food

  You can't believe anything they say, and their use of social issues to hide their heist and rape of our nation under the pretext of 9/11 is obscene.

  It was disgusting watching George W. Bush, the torturer, standing in the presence of Eli Wiesel yesterday.  Doubt Bush has ever read any of Wiesel's writings.

  Bush and Cheney are evil.  It will be a pleasure to watch their cohorts and enablers lose their grip on our nation.

  Once on dismisses the rest of all possible worlds, one finds that this is the best of all possible worlds.-Voltaire

  by Septima on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:17:24 AM PDT

•  Is it really just the republican "brand"?

  Is it just the republican "brand" that's tarnished. If we're going to be using this consumer analogy, then there's a little more to it than just the republican brand. They've been selling poison under their brand name for years. People are finally figuring out that the consumer experience associated with buying this republican brand fucking sucks.

  by roonster on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:17:44 AM PDT

•  Personal bias.

  Perhaps because I was raised in the deep South by fundie Christian conservative Republican parents, but I am not so naive as to believe that there is a fundamental ideological shift going on here.  Democratic ascendancy is due to anger with the
  (p)Resident and nothing more.  If Bush hadn't been such a fuckup, this wouldn't be happening.

  Not that I'm complaining.

  by jarhead5536 on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:17:44 AM PDT

  •  They won't all change their stripes

    but, the powerful machine that they built to bulldoze their way into power will be severely damaged for some time. The circular firing squad is now forming.

    One huge problem for republicans is......their policies have been tried and failed miserably. What can they offer except more of the same? Conservatism and Communism both sound good on paper, yet neither works in real life.

    by Unrepentant Liberal on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:27:42 AM PDT

  •  I Think You Are Right

    This is more about Bush, and his failed policies, both domestic and foreign, than it is about congress.  Heck, most people don't even know who their Congressman/woman or Senators are.  But everyone knows who the President is.  And after five years with no end in sight in Iraq, a fullblown recession, and gas prices at $4.00 a gallon and going up, they know who to blame.

    by feebog on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:29:48 AM PDT

•  It's time for the Death Blow

  If we do this right in the Fall, and it seems like it would be impossible not to, we can set the republicans back at least 15 years. And with do this really right, republicans will be forced to move towards the center and leave behind their petty and useless politics. The  political landscape of  our country could be forever altered. Sweet.

  by RussRocks on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:21:25 AM PDT

•  The repub national convention will have to be put

  on "suicide watch" this summer if things continue the way they have. (I hope, I hope, I hope)

  by Unrepentant Liberal on Fri May 16, 2008 at