McCain Can Run, but Bush Won’t Hide by Frank Rich

[babsbunny]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/opinion/18rich.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

By FRANK RICH
Published: May 18, 2008
THE biggest gift President Bush has given his party this year was to keep his daughter’s wedding nearly as private as Connie Corleone’s. Now that his disapproval rating has reached the Nixon nadir of negativity, even a joyous familial ritual isn’t enough to make the country glad to see him. The G.O.P.’s best hope would be for both the president and Dick Cheney to lock themselves in a closet until the morning after Election Day.

Republicans finally recognized the gravity of their situation three days after Jenna Bush took her vows in Crawford. As Hillary Clinton romped in West Virginia, voters in Mississippi elected a Democrat in a Congressional district that went for Bush-Cheney by 25 percentage points just four years ago. It’s the third “safe” Republican House seat to fall in a special election since March.

[irish.lambchop]

1. bush is just realizing that he's becoming irrelevant,

hence his Mid-East trip (and he's said he'll go back there again later in the year to further the peace process) and his blustering. He won't go away quietly. Being obscure is more painful to him than having a high disapproval rating. I hope he does keep opening his mouth and I hope cheney keeps campaigning for republicans - it's been working so well :)

[indepat]

2. May be more truth than poetry that junior won't go away quietly, like declaring martial

law and suspending national elections in November due to some national emergency which only he can decide and declare: then he could rule his empire for life. :D