Don,
Thanks, I'll take a look..
Continuing on an earlier theme of Bush affecting the collapse of the conservative movement, I found this article to be interesting.
washingtonpost.com
Bush Agenda Needs Hastert to Restore Unity in House GOP
When a rebellion among moderate Republicans handed control of the Senate to the Democrats seven weeks ago, President Bush turned to the House GOP leadership to protect his interests in Congress. Now, as critical pieces of Bush's legislative program are coming up for House votes, the same problem -- once again inflamed by his primary election opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain -- is plaguing his Republican allies.
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), until last week a wizard at keeping his narrow majority unified, saw 19 of his moderate colleagues rebel on a key procedural vote and hand him the most embarrassing defeat in his 30 months in office -- rejection of the rules of debate for the campaign finance bill. Both moderates and conservatives in the House Republican Conference complained bitterly about Hastert's handling of the issue, leaving unanswered questions about the speaker's ability to restore order in the ranks.
The blowup is notably ill-timed, with the House scheduled to deal with critically important pieces of the Bush legislative agenda between now and the August recess. Battle lines are drawn with the Democrats on the patients' bill of rights, federal aid to church-based social programs and a series of appropriations bills testing the limits of Bush's budget. Any defections on the Republican side could spell political disaster for the president.....
jttmab |
