As Senate Deal Sinks, So Does Bush’s Power by Jim Rutenberg at the NYTimes

[applegrove]

As Senate Deal Sinks, So Does Bush’s Power
By JIM RUTENBERG
Published: June 9, 2007
The New York Times

""The breakthrough on the “grand bargain” on immigration a few weeks ago had brought new life to a White House under siege, putting a long-sought goal suddenly within reach. After many grim months, there was almost giddiness at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

But that early euphoria only made the grand bargain’s grand collapse on Thursday night all the more of a blow, pointing up a stubbornly unshakable dynamic for President Bush in the final 19 months of his term: With low approval ratings and the race to succeed him well under way, his ability to push his agenda has faded to the point where he can fairly be judged to have entered his lame duck period.

In all, 38 of the 48 Senate Republicans effectively voted against the White House on the crucial procedural vote on the immigration bill, leaving the president’s No. 1 domestic priority somewhere between stalled and dead.

The White House has similarly been through a sharp reversal on the domestic politics of the Iraq war. After receiving a lift last month in the defeat of Democratic efforts to link war finances to Iraq withdrawal dates, the White House acknowledged Friday that it could not renominate Mr. Bush’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace, because of expected opposition on Capitol Hill.

.....SNIP"

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/washington/09bush.html?th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1181412476-3mp8ucWwJ0SI1+ELVHQU4g

[EVDebs]

1. Bush already outsourced and privatized EVERYTHING

What are we going to be left with ?

[Rydz777]

2. It is a real flaw in the American political system that we are

stuck with this President for 19 months - a man who is completely discredited and whose inarticulate mumblings are believed by no one. If we had a parliamentary system he would have been long gone by now. It puts the whole political system in paralysis at a time when the problems are serious.