Down and Out in Washington D.C.?

It's about time. From the Associated Press

More and more people, particularly Republicans, disapprove of President Bush's performance, question his character and no longer consider him a strong leader against terrorism, according to an AP-Ipsos poll documenting one of the bleakest points of his presidency.
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Republican Party leaders said the survey explains why GOP lawmakers are rushing to distance themselves from Bush on a range of issues -- port security, immigration, spending, warrantless eavesdropping and trade, for example.

To the first paragraph above goes a big yay! To the second, a big huh?

I cannot for the life of me fathom how the GOP is distancing themselves from the president on the warrantless eavesdropping issue. Maybe I read the news wrong this week, but didn't the Senate Intelligence Committee just drop to their party-line knees and vote to give Bush a get out of jail free card. So, while I am happy that everyday Republicans are sick of the incompetence, until their elected representatives stand up and fight BushCo on all fronts, I will reserve my happy dancing* until November.

Distance more.

*Okay, I admit I did do a little happy dance after I read this article. But just a little one, more like a happy foot tap.

Update: The NYT jumps on my theme that there really is no "distancing" going on.

Take domestic spying, held up as another area of Republican revolt. The program violates the law. Congress knows it. The public knows it. Even President Bush knows it. (He just says the law doesn't apply to him.) In response, the Capitol Hill rebels are boldly refusing to investigate the program — or any other warrantless spying that is going on. They are trying to rewrite the law to legalize warrantless spying. And meanwhile, they've created new subcommittees to help the president go on defying the law.

Hey, you think the NYT reads State of the Day? I didn't think so, but it's fun to dream...