From Rich Proctor at
The Smirking Chimp
So what can Rove do for Mr. Bush in 2006? With the President polling 42% popularity, what can the White House do to neutralize the Democrats in the next mid-term elections? In August of 2006, we'll no doubt still be stuck in an Iraqi quagmire. Gasoline will very like be above 3 dollars a gallon, maybe 4. Every Democrat in the House will be firing up his/her Social Security attack ad. ...
Here's what I think will happen. On September 1, 2006 (or thereabouts), Rove will put Bush at the center of the Mother Of All Photo Ops. President Bush will declare "VICTORY IN IRAQ! THE TROOPS ARE COMING HOME!" For the next two months and all the way to Election Day, every Republican Senate and House candidate will hold a Victory Parade in his/her district. Let the troop hugging and yellow-ribbon waving begin.
BINGO!!!!!!
I'll add that the Coup de Grace would be to draw down only 20 percent or so, enough to serve as parade and photo material. And blame anything that goes wrong afterward on Democratic Obstructionism and Liberal Activism for undermining the Brave Iraqi People and Uncle Sam. Yes, once that game is on, the photos of dead GI's and Iraqi kids will flow.
Nor am I saying this will for sure happen. But it's an example of the kind of out of the box thinking you had better get used to. They're not going to sit there through the '06 election with their thumbs up their ass. And considering what they did when they were leading every poll and had Congress and the media terrified, think what they might try as lame ducks with nothing to lose who are getting worried or desperate.
And for them '06 is nothing but a live fire exercise for '08. They can afford to lose some seats and they'll apply those lessons which worked, probably gathered from local elections all over where they acted as pilot programs, in '08.