W did tremendous damage to the GOP. If you doubt it just compare how you feel about the party today compared to 10 years ago. A decade ago I would have argued with anyone who said that the democrats wanted to rush headlong into socialism while the GOP just wanted to stroll there. No longer.
Almost verbatim.
Bill Gertz (touting his book Failure Factory) interview on Hannity and Colmes
Gertz: Well he casts himself as a compassionate conservative and I argue that he's neither. That his administration is neither. He's done tremendous damage to the conservative movement...