Afternoon Grab Bag

by Steve

Bush’s efforts to get his immigration reform proposal through this Congress are harming him with his GOP base, as they get a taste of the rhetoric that Bush and Rove have used against Democrats these last six years. And it comes at a time when those Democrats are in no mood to help Bush on anything. And how ironic was it that Bush accused GOP critics of fear mongering on this issue, given his own record when it comes to terrorism?

When the new Director of National Intelligence is so badly misinformed about the law that his recent Post Op-Ed is exposed by the House Intelligence Committee chair for its repeated falsehoods, one wonders why Congress doesn’t drag Mike McConnell immediately to a hearing and make him explain his incompetence for the job. But that would require the Democrats to have guts first.

Fred Thompson will be jumping into the GOP race at a time when over half of Republicans aren’t happy with their choices. As NBC’s Chuck Todd notes, Thompson’s entry will hurt McCain the most, but will also depress the fundraising for all the top three GOP candidates and may put cripple Newt Gingrich’s hopes. All this for a guy who has no chance in hell of winning the presidency when people find out more about him.

Don’t underestimate the degree to which vulnerable GOP incumbents next year will abandon Bush this fall if things don’t get better in Iraq.

“Lou Dobbs” and “truth” don’t mix.

Sure, Robert Zoellick is a better pick for the World Bank than the departing Paul Wolfowitz, but bank officials already mark him down because he is a Bushie.

A new Gallup poll done last week with an over sample of Republican respondents shows that the number one reason given by the public for high gas prices is oil company greed.