Reply #69: Yes. And on that "mandate" -- has he begun to spend his

[saltpoint]

political capital yet, or is it gone?

I think he thinks it's still in the account, per your excellent analysis of how these people actually operate.

But I think the historians are weighing in with an opposing view.

Reagan pulled back from a devastating low approval and difficult recessionary times, but he was possessed of a kind of vacuous charm that made it possible for voters to like him even as he presided over death squad operations in Central America. "Pay no attention to the leftist press - you know how THEY are!"

And so he stumbled back into respectability, at least in terms of the GOP's faithful.

I think this current president is in a deeper hole, and must try to pull up with none of Reagan's charm.

This presidency is over with. So your scenario of Allen stepping in is horrifyingly plausible. Jesus, that guy is a goober-brain. And as hinted above, it might be in Allen's best interest if Dick Cheney departed ahead of schedule, because Webb may present a sticky problem for Allen's 08 aspirations. Allen has to win with as big a percentage as Sen. Clinton will in NY to be thought a contender for the GOP ticket.