Reply #9: I understand the logic, but I don't agree

[Devil Dog Dem]

I agree with you in the sense that we are "better off" that our guy isn't going to be blamed for these messes, but I disagree with your statements that Bush Co will pay the political consequences for the messes they've created.

Repubs generally, and these goons particularly, have been very adept at avoiding the consequences for their actions, and I see no reason why that will change, even if things do get worse.

While I have some optimism about doing well in 2008 (since a single presidential candidate can manage his own campaign), I have very little hope for much of a serious backlash in 2006. Partially because I have no confidence in Dems' (particularly our so-called Dem leaders) ability to exploit the likely bad conditions.

Backlashes don't happen on their own, they must be generated. Simply put, Dem "leadership" is too weak and fractured to be effective, and no single person (other than a presidential candidate in 2008) can generate the heat necessary to make the repugs look bad. All our voices on DU aren't enough if you have Reid, Lieberman, and others playing paddy-cake with the repugs, and a timid press unwilling to cover the stories that need covering. The only way I see anything changing is if ASAP Dems got their own version of Fox news on the air and covered these stories and had a bleed over into the mainstream press. But getting something like going will take some time, and I don't see it happening in a mere 2 years.

Nope, I don't hold much hope for the next 4 years, but I'm not as pessimistic about 2008.