Real Kato Blog: Oh, Those Poor Republicans

Is there anything going right for the Republican party these days?

Let's run down the list, for those of you who haven't been keeping score. Bill Frist is under investigationfor insider trading. Tom Delay was indicted on charges of violating campaign finance laws. There is infighting among the party as to who will take over the House Majority Leader role. The war in Iraq continues to go poorly, with the number of U.S. casualties approaching 2000, and no end in sight. The U.S. Army missed its recruiting targets for the year. Judith Miller is testifying that Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis Libby, is responsible for leaking Valerie Plame's name as a CIA operative. Former Education Secretary William Bennett embarrassed the party by suggesting crime would go down if there were more abortions for black babies.

And what is Bush doing? He's saying "we're making progress" in Iraq... that's the same thing he said when the casualty count passed 1000, I think. He's threatening to veto a defense bill because it doesn't contain enough spending. He'll also veto the bill if it bans cruel and unusual punishment of foreign prisoners, or if it establishes a commission to investigate abuses. So let's see here: the war is getting better, yet we need more money for it. Riiiight. And also, we're fighting a war for "justice" and "freedom", except when it comes to people in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.

Huh.

Just over a year until the 2006 elections. I still think the Democrats' best response right now would be to just sit back and smile as the Republicans continue to shoot themselves in their proverbial feet. Save up those sound bites and talking points, guys; you can bring them back out during the last few months of the campaign, when they'll be most effective. Here are the phrases to write down for later: "ethically challenged"; "Iraqi quagmire"; "basic human rights"; "out-of-control spending".

Oh, and perhaps the most important word to tag the Republicans with: "clueless".

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