So, is the problem GOP fear or cowardice? It does sound like we Republicans are doing all we can to promote a Democrat victory in 2008, doesn't it? I was even under the impression that GWB is said to "not mind" if HRC succeeds him.
"So, is the problem GOP fear or cowardice?"
That's probably part of it, but I think the bigger issue is hubris. The Republican party seems more interested in how the goodies get distributed than it is in representing the people that put them in power in the first place. The Republican party is of the opinion that conservatives have no place else to go, so they can do pretty much what they please.
To a certain extent they're right. But what they miss is that in our current electoral environment, whether you win or lose is determined by whether your own base shows up, not if the so-called "swing voters" choose to vote for you. "Swing voters" (along with the bulk of the population) simply aren't showing up on election day.
The Democrats don't need to run a stellar candidate to win in 2008. All they need is for conservatives to decide that it isn't worth the hassle to vote for the GOP candidate.
That's what happened in Virginia last month, and absent the Democratic party picking an absolutely horrible candidate or the GOP picking a stellar one, that's how I suspect 2008 will play out.