The failure of the GOP to actually fight the Dems can be traced back to Jan. 01. The President is usually considered to be the leader of his (so far) party. The GOP's actions, out-Demming the Dems and protecting the Dems, has been very, very noticable since the aforementioned date.. period.
I quite agree with everything you say -- "W" is truly a liberal that understands tax policy (confused by most as knowledge that can only be had by conservatives) and a strong religious belief that translates into an anti-abortion stance. It's not all that surprising that he finds so much common ground with the leftists.