In a local referedum, the extremely conservative community of Downers Grove, IL voted decisively that we should withdraw our troops from Iraq. Obviously it doesn't amount to a hill of beans in terms of policy, but as a barometer, it spoke volumes as to the overriding issue in this election. Anyone who lives in DuPage County knows the significance of this. This is the same county that took Blagojevic back to the woodshed last night (something like a 200,000 vote differential in favor of Topinka).
Ironically - very ironically - this very dynamic may have cost Tammy Duckworth an expected victory in the 6th District. Roskam came through with a big victory despite Duckworth's constant harping on her wounded war vet status. It's possible voters were so altogether turned off by the war, anyone even associated with Iraq took it in the pants. Roskam's victory was the saving grace of last night. We have to build on that and get some legitimate GOP candidates on the ballot in IL in 2008 to challenge Melissa Bean and others.
Anyhow, I expect that the White House will be on the offensive from here on out. It's going to get extremely ugly in 2007 - a year of Congressional investigations and (I hope) a very bloody battle to replace John Paul Stephens (Janice Rogers Brown, if Bush has any balls left, otherwise probably Gonzales), and I expect we will see an attempted impeachment of Bush in early 2008. That in mind, the GOP will have to consider using its open Samson Option to turn back the Dem guns. If we lay down, the Dems are going to steamroll into the White House in 2008. If impeachment hearings actually materialize, we're doomed (and I mean DOOMED).
Should be OWN Samson Option
Part of this, a big part, is that 1) the Republicans allowed the media to frame the Iraq war as a failure with no counter... 2)because of their fear of the media, they are waging a PC war....the terrorists are not...and 3)many Americans vote based on a Katie Couric soundbite.