[Elkiejg]

First - I don't like Joe Klein -- but thought he had some good lines in this article.

[Cobra64]

"...what will the Democrats run on? Their intellectual cupboard is bare..."

Always has been.

[ChadGore]

WHY DEMOCRATS ARE ALL BOXED IN ?

Because they're misled by a tool:

[Wendel Wilkie]

What the Dems don't understand, what they will never understand, is that President Bush didn't get to be governor and then President by lacking political skill. George Bush out-foxed Tommy Daschle with the Homeland Security Bill before the 2002 elections to lead the Republicans back into the Senate majority.

And now he's out-foxed the Dems again. They underestimate this President at their own peril.

[untwist]

This is an expensive political win for Bush, but a win nonetheless. In FL, where I live, this is the kind of situation that deflates the Dems, who are overwhelmingly the retiree vote. With Bob Graham's senate seat up for grabs this can tilt the vote to the GOP nominee. Daschle and Kennedy promise a filibuster on this in the senate. That will be a political disaster for them. Go ahead and sustain a filibuster, kill the bill and further alienate AARP going into an election year. Bush and Rove really have them hogtied here.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

The Democrats are boxed into complicated and unpopular positions because they tend to stand on principle—although the principles involved are often antiquated, peripheral and, arguably, foolish.

When discussed in the mainstream media, this line will be edited to:

The Democrats are boxed into complicated and unpopular positions because they tend to stand on principle.

with no further elaboration or discussion of context.

[Reagan is King]

The Bush Administration is outsmarting the Democrats at every turn.

I agree, but at what price? Both of these bills are bloated budget busters that should have never gotten out of committee. The only thing I can hope for is that the Republicans never thought they would become law and just did it to box in the Democraps, but I think that's giving them too much credit.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

Some victory! Bush assures his own re-election to spend our money even more wildly in the next four years than he did as president his first four years?

If runaway federal spending under the GOP is "victory," bring back defeat.

[SamAdams76]

I think the gay marriage thing is going to be a big issue this next election cycle. Bush and the Republicans are smart to stay above the fray and let events play out. Many rank-and-file Democrats are disgusted over this issue. Even the Catholic Church here in Massachusetts have broken ranks with the party of Ted Kennedy over this issue and they are predicting that the Democrats will lose a lot of votes next year.

Contrary to what you might think, not many people in Massachusetts are very happy with this ruling.

[ex-Texan]

*BUMP*!

[RippleFire]

With all due respect, this article isn't from Newsweek - it's from Time: http://www.time.com/time/election2004/columnist/klein/article/0,18471,548959,00.html

[jmaroneps37]

rats that are starting to get it make me laugh. They act like its a new emergence that they're in trouble.
This 04 election will be a perfect storm for the rats and their pals.

[Paleo Conservative]

[Gritty]

Today, politicians are giving Americans the goodies they want and are fighting over who gets the credit.

Someday, they'll be fighting over who gets the blame!