"I haven't yet seen ONE RACE where any of this is having an impact. "
This about more than any RACE. This is about blindly following G.W.
His decision making has been less than credible in the past and his Miers nomination damaged his image beyond repair. Only a fool or a Lemming (IMO)would blindly follow any leader.
Pressure from his conservative base to force him into nominating a justice with the credentials he had promised us weakened him in many conservative's eyes. The neglect he has shown towards our borders, going as far as calling our Minute Men "VIGILANTES" shows an arrogance and lack of understanding on his part(IMO). His statements concerning this Port deal have left many of us with an uneasy feeling, once again. He may be correct(the jury is still out), but the way he goes about his decision making in these instances leaves a lot to be desired. He has a tendency to take the word of those below him as gospel and run with it. Sadly there are too many untrustworthy and just flat out stupid people in his cabinet to rely on the information they spoon feed him.
I would think that we here at FR all supported President Bush on his re-election and held high hopes that in this term he would address the issues of our borders, SC nominations, over spending, etc....
To put up a smoke screen to indicate he is keeping our party strong is unrealistic. Only when we face the truth can we improve on the mistakes of the past.
My prayers are with him, but not my blind trust.
My blind trust isn't behind him either, but our discussion DID NOT begin that way---it is about whether this hurts Bush/the GOP politically, and it does not. Perversely, it only HELPS them, because ONLY the Republicans can be criticized for failing to address national security---the public has already concluded that the Dems are completely incapable of dealing with this. So this in essence reinforces Bush's/the GOP's strenghts. Watch the next election: +1 net in the Senate, +2 or 3 in the House.