Analysis: Legal Problems Add to GOP Woes

[leftchick]

WASHINGTON - In President Bush's first term, the Republican congressional leadership stood solidly behind him at every turn, delivering on tax cuts, authorization for the Iraq war, homeland security and Medicare overhaul.

That GOP discipline is clearly gone now.

Neither House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., nor Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has been able keep the troops in line as a fractious Congress limps toward its year-end recess. Their leadership woes are compounded by legal troubles that are confronting Frist and that have sidelined former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

Bush's low approval ratings add to the problem.

There have been many setbacks over the past few days for Bush and the Republicans:

_the Senate blocked Bush's request to extend the Patriot Act.

_Congress was poised to leave town without approving a tax bill that was a GOP priority.

_Republicans were deeply divided on immigration and spending issues.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051217/ap_on_go_co/fading_gop_discipline_1

_Bush had to bow to bipartisan pressure and accept a proposal by Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., to ban abuse of suspected terrorists.

[tulsakatz]

1. and probably the only good thing about yesterday's news........

......about secret surveillance of American citizens in the US.

Anyway, the only good thing about that, is that it made the elections in Iraq seem insignificant. If not for that bit of news, we would still be hearing about what a wonderful thing the elections in Iraq were!!

[wtmusic]

2. I was trying to figure out why I was in such a good mood yesterday

and it was all about USA PATRIOT going down. Sure, it's gonna get renewed, and some form of it will get passed--but I kept imagining the look on Junior's face when he found out (prolly like someone just peed in his cornflakes).

Maybe there is hope.

[rodeodance]

3. they are digging their own graves-yet they wonder why.