Republican Congressional Leadership To Bush: Stay Away!



Lame duck? (image via photos1.blogger)

Out political crystal ball has never been so clear. We predict that this Sunday morning the Chattering Class will collectively discuss whether the Democrat gubernatorial blowout on Election Day means definively that The President is a lame duck (4th item). Arnold Schwarzenegger, a man not averse to the ultraviolet spectrum, regarded POTUS as particularly radioactive recently, asking that he not visit California in the wake of his failed initiative ballot for fear of political reverberations. POTUS didn't, and there were reverberations. Then there was the last minute stumping for Kilgore in Richmond, which also went ... sideways. According to our favorite Dickensian villain Robert Novak, Congressional Republicans have issued an "Every-man-for-himself" edict, anticipating the 2006 Mid-Term elections; to wit:

"House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and the House Republican campaign chairman, Rep. Tom Reynolds, were given a sobering warning last week by senior GOP political operatives. They were told that on Tuesday, Nov. 8, the Democrats were sure to win the governorship of Virginia. After that, the warning continued, the watchword within the House majority would be: Every man for himself!

"The victory of Democrat Tim Kaine over Republican Jerry Kilgore was the only contest in scattered off-year elections that was carefully monitored on Capitol Hill. For a liberal Virginian to win a Southern red state signaled that cherished Republican majorities in both House and Senate, plus all the perquisites they entail, could be lost in 2006. Eyeing the Democratic landslide in suburban northern Virginia just over the Potomac from Washington that gave Lt. Gov. Kaine the governorship, Republicans in Congress envision their own doom."

While Novak has, as always, impeccable sources, we must beg to differ on his characterization of Kaine as "liberal Virginian" (Novak's obviously been drinking the RNC Kool-aid hook, like, and sink 'er). Kaine is, of course, a centrist Democrat -- as McCain, whom we love, is a Centrist Republican -- with many Republican donors, and is also against abortion and quite comfortable talking about his Christianity on the stump.

The full Novakian story here.