It's still February. There is lots of time left for President Bush to right the ship.
But Republican supporters cannot at all be pleased with the cracks in Bush's armor right now. What seemed like a potential landslide victory in the making for Bush now seems like a real dog fight to the end a la 2000.
Several factors are making life uneasy for the President (in no special order):
(1) Independent voters in states like Ohio, Neew Hampshire, West Virginia, Arizona and Pennsylvania actively questioning everyday why we went to war in Iraq in the first place?
(2) David Kay's testimony to the Senate and meeting with the President that there are no visible weapons of mass destruction, and that the intelligency was very faulty.
(3) Fiscally conservative Republicans appalled at the budget deficit and Bush's immigration plan.
(4) Those same Republicans and many voters upset with the President's initial error in estimating cost of health care reform (off by one-third) from the time it was passed in Congress vs. the time when the President sent his budget to Congress.
(5) Halliburton always in the news.
(6) No answer for the ~3M American jobs lost since the administration took over in 2001. No idea on how to stop the losses from mounting.
(7) Dean's descent, and Kerry's ascent, and now the possibility that Hillary Clinton might be a viable VP candidate.
(
Early polls showing Kerry leading the President.
(9) Kerry's ability to use his military career to ignite independent veterans.
(10) The perception that the economy is not much better since the administration cam einto power.
Let's face it folks. John Kerry has lots and lots of flaws too. Other than some voters in Florida, most people south of Mason-Dixon, and in the West find him very unappealing. He has many things he needs to answer for to even core Democrats like myslef. He would still be the under-dog against President Bush despite what early Gallup polls may say. But, there are enough issues that are plaguing the President now that make the prospects of a landslide almost impossible. And there are enough electoral vote scenarios floating around in Karl Rove's inner circles that are giving him some headaches.
This is going to be a great and fascinating race!
HoopsCubs
