The near total capitulation of this country to illegals (aka McCain-Kennedy), WITH GWB's support I might add.
Concentrated efforts by Dems to elect Vets (Gimme a hundred vets and I'll take the hill).
Continuous berating and lying about WMDs by the libs and MSM with not one damn rebuttal from GWB
House sex scandels (e.g., the Florida homo)
Having been in charge for 4+ years with a TOTAL triumvirate dominance in government and not a damn thing to speak of for it save 'we're still in IRAQ' (while not calling out the MSM for lying about the war)......
Don't you think this is enough? Notice how I refrained from saying that McCain, all the while, was busy stabbing our collective backs in the balance.
“Having been in charge for 4+ years with a TOTAL triumvirate dominance in government and not a damn thing to speak of for it save ‘we’re still in IRAQ’ (while not calling out the MSM for lying about the war)......”
I think you’ve pointed the major causes of the party’s turn of fortunes. And, most Republicans don’t want to admit how badly the long presence in Iraq has hurt Bush and the party. The cost of that effort will be far more than lives and dollars, no matter what the benefits might prove to be.
I also think when Bush made his, “I’ve got political capital now and I aim to spend it,” remark that that was when things started down hill. The entire, two term pander to Hispanics strategy has been disastrous. Recent arrivals and the poor in general are natural Democrats, but he and Rove pretended they could buy their votes with amnesty. All they accomplished was to offend and demoralize the party’s base and many others with their arrogance.
Another factor is W’s painful inability to effectively articulate and convince the country of the need for many of his policy initiatives. A president who can’t take advantage of the bully pulpit already has one or even two strikes against him in such a contentious political environment.