If we have any hope of competing in the 2008 election, we need to accept that reality and plan accordingly.
Democrats who won formerly Republican areas need to be exposed for the corrupt, lying, hypocrites they are. Even the Cleveland Plain Dealer (known also as the New Dealer, the Crack Dealer, etc.) has caught St. Theodore of Portsmouth (AKA Governor Strickland) in an unconstitutional power grab. http://www.cleveland.com/politics/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1178354086234600.xml&coll=2
But no Republican in Columbus will do anything to keep this story alive. They'll bend over to Strickland just as the RINOs in the House did.
Back to national politics: the GOP needs to find the un-Bush to be its standard-bearer in 2008. Do I know who this is? No, but I hope it's Fred Thompson right now. Some may think it's Rudy, or McCain, and that's fine, too.
Newsweak's polling and sampling may be questionable, but no one is doing anyone any favors by pretending his approval rating is near the 40s.
I’m also from an over 70% GWB county in Ohio — one of three counties (Clermont, Butler and Warren) that President Bush/Rove knew they had to win BIG in order to secure a victory in Ohio.
We came thru BIG in 2004 . . . and we came thru again in 2006 . . . And the reason we managed to get our CONTROVERSIAL representative re-elected is BECAUSE OF not for lack of voter loyalty to PRESIDENT BUSH . . . I worked side-by-side with the Maupin family (VERY strong supporters of the President) and MANY other staunch GWB supporters: NO ONE I know who supported President Bush in 2004 has turned their back on him in 2007 — actually, it’s quite the opposite . . . We support him MORE for his principled, visionary leadership despite constant attacks from the left and the FAR right!!