The tide has finally turned. The Bush Administration is spiraling downward to its deserved position as one of the worst Presidencies in American history. The full process will take years, but I do not believe the situation is reversible. The politics of tomorrow will be shaped by this fall, and how accountability is assessed. Republicans will continue the process of distancing themselves in proportion to Bush's unpopularity, and there is enough time even before November 2006 for them to do so. The battle between distancing and accountability is the real battle for the politics of the next generation.
I suggest that the most critical message to emphasize is the responsibility of the Republican party (and all of its members) for the acts of the Bush Administration. There are many actions of the Bush Administration that history will judge unfavorably, and those were not taken by just a single individual, but rather by a very broad team of committed partisans across all branches of government. The Republican Senators and Congressmen who will be distancing themselves from the actions of the Bush Administration nevertheless are responsible for making those actions possible. Even the moderate members of the House and Senate are responsible for the actions of the far more conservative party leaders who their votes helped to elect. I would extend this responsibility even further. Ultimately, the American citizens who choose to vote for Republicans in Congress and for the Presidency are responsible for the actions that were made possible by their votes.
The message does not have to be shouted from the roof-tops. In fact, if we aggressively shout on this issue our words will not be heard, just the shout of our screaming (note: I do believe that other Democratic messages are best delivered with raised voices, just not this one in particular). Instead, I see the process of effectively communicating this sense of responsibility more as a slow process of erosion, in which a constant (true) perspective is repeatedly inserted into discussion and dialog. I believe that what is going on in America is so serious a break with our past that a major shift in our political structure is possible. I believe that there are a great many Americans with integrity who have voted Republican in the past who are ready to fundamentally shift their political allegiance. I believe that we should make clear to them that their past votes for Republican candidates provided the foundation for all of the actions that have been taken by the government officials that they have elected. That is how it works in a democracy - ultimately, the voters are responsible. I believe that conservatives of all stripes should someday have to explain to their children how they voted to sustain a government that condoned torture. This will be an excruciating prospect for those individuals of integrity, which is why I suggest we raise the issue calmly but persistently. But if that dialog will ever occur, American politics will be changed for a generation or more.
History will eventually come out where it should in regard to an America in which the President breaks the law (and the oath of office about observing those laws), where the government can illegally spy-on, incarcerate, torture and murder individuals. What matters most to the future of America (and the world) is how responsibility for these actions is placed.