Whoo hoo!

21 October 2005 18:32 EDT | Posted by Highlander


It isn't dishonesty, karma, or even a damned liberal conspiracy. It's all just plain darn pesky bad luck:



Bush and his team have had difficult days before, but the autumn of his fifth year in the White House finds him in his worst slump ever. A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll released Monday found that just 39% approve of the job he's doing, the lowest rating of his political career.


"Bad news tends to move in bunches, and this White House has had more than its share," says Republican pollster Whit Ayres. "When you are in one of these periods, the best thing is to keep your head down, stay focused on the job and wait for your luck to change."


So, you know, none of it is actually anyone's fault...

Tom DeLay getting arrested, Bill Frist being investigated for stock fraud, Fitzgerald on the verge of indicting everyone in the White House for espionage, 39% of Americans (we'll presume it's the really really stupid 39%) happy with the job the White House is doing... that's all just, you know, a crappy roll of the dice. And if these guys just keep their eyes on the floor and shuffle their feet aimlessly for a while, well, they'll get back in 'the zone' again and climb back onto the top of the world.

Unfortunately, the American people have demonstrated a remarkable ability to forget stuff the minute the media lets them, so there is a very frightening possibility that Ayres is correct. However, he is speaking in code; he's not counting on anything as nebulous as 'luck'. He just wants the press to move on to something else, so the American people can sink back into complacency again.

Then there's this:


Bush's supporters say he has accomplished a lot despite his recent problems. John Roberts' nomination as chief justice was a success. A Central American trade agreement, a budget that extended some tax cuts, a highway bill and a law limiting payments in class-action lawsuits were passed this year, notes Republican strategist Charlie Black.

"We haven't had a bad year," he says. "Some things will be delayed ... but the president has three years to accomplish his agenda."


Actually, the Chimp in Chief has another year to get overall approval ratings back up over 50%, so the conservatives have half a chance of staying in control of Congress. The good news for him is, hurricane season is nearly over. The bad news is, unless he decides to arm the troops in Iraq with tactical nuclear warheads, we have no chance of seeing anything remotely like a victory there any time in the next decade. The worse news is, the media has woken up and suddenly remembered that pulling down a sitting Administration is really good for their careers. They've tasted blood and they want more, and given that the party in charge has been running amok without the slightest care in the world for morals, ethics, or legality for the last half decade or so, I suspect there's a lot more out there just waiting to hit the front pages.

Cautious optimism, I know. But still... things are looking up. If Fitzgerald doesn't wimp out, those few of us left under the Truth and Justice umbrella might just have a very merry Christmas after all.