2005: Bush's Annus Horribilis

Immanuel Wallerstein argues that Bush has lost the confidence of key elements of his party, the electorate and the world over the past year.  

Whatever one thinks of Bush's politics, there is no question that at the start of 2005 he had arrived at the pinnacle of his authority. Bush interpreted his reelection and the Republican majority in both houses of Congress as a mandate, not only validating his invasion of Iraq but authorizing his very conservative economic agenda -- renewal of the tax cuts, gutting the social security program, drilling for oil in Alaska and in general reducing environmental protection for starters. Republican discipline was very strong and Bush controlled the signals. ...

But Bush spent all of his "political capital" before the first year of his second term was out.  Now what?

At the start of 2006, the world looks different for the current Bush administration.  Wallerstein cites five factors that have changed the political dynamics for the Bush White House.  

1. The increasing numbers of killed and wounded in Iraq.

2. Hurricane Katrina, which Wallerstein says,
   revealed a level of incompetence and social indifference in the Bush administration that left people gasping.

3. The botched Miers nomination which offended the Religious Right.

4. The corruption of those in his administration and Congress that is demonstrated by indictments of Libby, Abramoff and DeLay.  

5. His own illegal actions which resulted from:  
   

...Bush's personal instincts plus Cheney's deliberate intentions to inflate the president's powers... Bush issued secret orders in 2001 which permitted torture (although he didn't call it that) and illegal wiretapping of U.S. citizens -- both in clear violation of explicit laws.

Great article that I highly recommend. Now for 2006. There is no end to Iraq casualties in sight and the effectiveness -- or even the existence of -- a "plan" to win there has never been more in doubt. Katrina laid bare the country's horrible apartheit for everyone to see and Bush failed to even acknowledge it! Like the Iraq war, Katrina is not going away. For each multi-billion dollar request for arms and reconstruction money for Iraq, the American people will be wondering why there and not the Gulf Coast. The rest is pure politics. The Miers nomination showed the wingers that Bush is not really one of them. He has just been along for the ride. They put him in his place. Corruption and law-breaking are the lifeblood of the Bush administration and 2006 promises to bring forth more evidence that the people who are running our country are self-dealing thieves. Time will tell if Democrats can stop them. I am hopeful -- not because of the Dems, but because most of the public is smarter than Bush, the press or Congress give them credit for.