President Clinton's party lost 54 House seats in 1994. The composition of the Senate shifted from 56 Democrats to 54 Republicans. President Bush may feel his predecessor's pain after next year's Congressional elections.

Bad news has been the only news for Republicans lately. Republican bruises include Karl Rove and "Scooter" Libby outed as Valerie Plame's "outers"; Tom DeLay indicted; Katrina's political Hurricane; $2.80 per gallon gas prices; growing opposition to the Iraq campaign; pathetic presidential gestures, and appeals to the public, on energy conservation; and the increasing sense that retaining power rather than decreasing the size of government stands as the Republican raison d'etre.

Add to this the notion, based on recent Republican victories at the ballot box, that the GOP is simply due for a loss, and the historic pattern of the president's party tasting defeat in mid-term elections, and you have a recipe for a Republican shellacking in 2006. But with the elections more than a year away, there's still time for the GOP to change the ingredients and dine on tastier fare.

You fail to comprehend what put the R's in Congress in 1994. It had nothing to do with the kinds of reasons you list or link to above. Both Clinton's Congressional losses and Carter's defeat were not due to half-baked media-whipped scandals like these, which have next to no traction with voters (only poll-takers). We vote the way we do because we know the consequences of living under liberals... having the media bark and scream about Delay or Plame or Katrina has nothing to do with it. It will mean NOTHING in Nov. 2006, except maybe picking up West Virginia's senate seat from The Byrd.

Modspell what is it about $3.00 a gallon gasoline don't you understand.Bush is the new Carter not Clinton. The Repub's will get croaked and get ready for another Clinton.

I agree with Sarge, the GOP is governing themselves into a huge defeat. That makes the sad SC picks Bush is coming up with (Miers is more "crony" appointing by him) even more tragic.

It could be added though that the only think likely to save the GOP is the Democrats, considering that they offer no alternative to the Republicans at all since both parties share the same political philosophies and agree on all of the major issues that move the electorate. The lone exception is the Democrats open support of abortion and gay marriage which actually hurts them with voters.

Tis' true. Their only winning formula is that they are less stinky than the Dems. Sad, that.

The Economy (esp. jobs & energy costs) and Iraq: show even incremental results on these and the RP has a decent shot of holding on to Congress.

I am just waiting for GW to give away the Panama C**** or boycott the Olympics, or start a federal jobs program like CETA to complete his morph into Jimmy Carter. Brian nailed it though when he called the Dems inept. The only thing saving the Repubs is that there is no alternative. None.

Didn't those two stalwarts of global socialism, Carter and Clinton, already do this? Teddy Roosevelt must have been spinning in his grave.

Michael Savage is right. There are enemies within.

About the $2.80 gas prices, why do the Democrats insist that the United States can't drill in ANWAR since gas prices are so high? The Democrats are the reason gas prices are so high since this oil could have been out of the ground by now if the Dems had allowed this to happen.

I can hear Tom Delay's defense right now. He has proof that the Texas Democrats did the same thing in the same election cycle so this is a selective prosecution. Besides what Delay did at the time was legal.

This comes from a political party who main members are a murderer and a KKK head honcho.

There is enough petroleum on our planet to feed us cheaply for the next 100 years. This is all about drilling and refining regulation in order to increase and keep the prices up. It's simply a manufactured profit spike.

And they have the public just where they want them: ringing their hands and worrying that the reason prices are so high is that we're running out.

"There is enough petroleum on our planet to feed us cheaply for the next 100 years."

hahaha!!! I'm going to laugh at you in 5 years. And also in 10. As for your 'statistic', you might want to fraction that. Things can only go from bad to worse right now. You dont think that a 400% increase in gas over just 5 years won't have a devasting effect on the price of California lettuce, Florida fruit, or beef from Kansas. Gas is the only product with an inflation like this, and it will inevitably hurt other markets in the next couple of years. Gas goes up and nobody gets raises at their jobs... hummmm, sounds fun. Let's try it!

"why do the Democrats insist that the United States can't drill in ANWAR since gas prices are so high?"

hahaha. what fun will driving be when the ecosystem is f*cked and there isn't enough oxygen for both you and me.

wait, on second thought, who needs ecological conservation when we can drive SUVs over helpless little animals and laugh about it.

The sky is falling.

The problem is not raw supply, the problem is the amount of raw supply that is refined and distributed.

That's where we're running out and it is contrived not for the purpose of resource conservation but so that supply and demand can dictate higher prices and more profits.