Can anyone picture a scenario where Bush is not the GOP nominee? Couldn't his popularity drop to the low 30s in a matter of weeks, leaving him unelectable? What if the following were to happen in the next few weeks:
- Chaos in Iraq - guerilla/civil war
- Stock market sharply lower
- Oil prices sharply higher
- US casualties continue to spike
- Misc. (Plame indictment, bad 9/11 report, etc.)
If most of the above were to happen Bush could be held to account (finally). Lyndon Johnson had Vietnam and social unrest at home in 1968. I know LBJ made his announcement not to seek a second term in the course of a contested primary but could Bush make the same decision not to run in 2004? I wasn't born when LBJ made his announcement - my historical reading was he did it to spare himself the humiliation of a crushing defeat. Can anyone share what the reaction was when LBJ said he wasn't running?
I don't think GWB has ANY humility so even in horrible circumstances I believe he would stick to his lies and run for a second term. The question is whether at some point his support collapses and people see The Chimperor Has No Clothes.