Whoa, The Emperor's *NOT* Wearing Clothes? WTF?

As the failures of George W. Bush's presidency (and their deadly consequences) begin to become more apparent, more and more of his supporters find it difficult to perform the mental gymnastics necessary to defend him. It's nice to see the fog lifting, even if it's a year later than I would have liked. It took years for people to finally see Nixon for who he was, but this is even more serious. Nixon's mistakes pale in historical comparison- and at least he had a list of genuine accomplishments (EPA and other environmental laws, ending the draft, historic visit to China, etc) he could point to.

President Bush has turned our economy from surplus to a debtor to communist China, allowed a small group of neoconservatives to hijack U.S. foreign policy, destroyed the ability of Congress and the people to trust the President by sending troops to a war that still needs to be rationalized 2.5 years in, also damaged the White House's relationship with the press by taking spin and stonewalling to unprecendented levels, alienated conservatives with his out-of-control spending and arrogant governing, and showed what 'compassionate conservativism' really meant with his handling (or lack thereof) of Hurricane Katrina. I am not surprised that his supporters are starting to turn on him; my only shock is that it took so long. Hopefully this is all leading somewhere and we can finally do what was done to Nixon- hold him accountable for the mess he has created.

I like this rant Bill Maher did in September where he joked about need a California-style recall election for Bush: "On your watch, we've lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four airliners, two Trade Centers, a piece of the Pentagon, and the city of New Orleans. Maybe you're just not lucky. I'm not saying you don't love this country, I'm just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the other side."

The NY Times takes a look at the situation in Ohio:
Even Supporters Doubt President as Issues Pile Up

...Many people who voted for Mr. Bush a year ago had trouble pinning their current discontent on any one thing. Many mentioned the hurricane and the indictment of a top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, which some said raised doubts about the president's candor and his judgment. But there was a sense that something had veered off course in the last few months, and the war was the one constant. Over and over, even some of Mr. Bush's supporters raised comparisons with Vietnam.

"We keep hearing about suicide bombers and casualties and never hear about any progress being made," said Dave Panici, 45, a railroad conductor from Bradley, Ill. "I don't see an end to it; it just seems relentless. I feel like our country is just staying afloat, just treading water instead of swimming toward somewhere."

Mr. Panici voted for President Bush in 2004, calling it "a vote for security." "Now that a year has passed, I haven't seen any improvement in Iraq," he said. "I don't feel that the world is a safer place."...

PS- When you've lost 'State of the Union', you've lost Middle America: