Democrats bound back

Post Gazette reports The only thing harder to find in the U.S. Senate these days than a Democrat with a conscience is a Republican with a spine.

Democrats may have been waxed at the polls last November, but they're running rings around Republicans in the public relations battles so far this year. Democrats benefit enormously from having most of the major media in the tank for them. Although media bias is more egregious than ever, it's not exactly a new phenomenon. You'd think Republicans would be prepared for it by now. Only ordinary incompetence is required to lose the high ground on any one of these issues, but extraordinary incompetence is required to lag so far behind on all of them.

Captain Ed blogged Jack Kelly of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette makes the argument that the GOP has lost political momentum through the lackadaisical effort of its legislative caucuses, especially in the Senate, since the elections last year. Kelly writes that a lack of effort and basic competence in the Republican leadership has allowed the Democrats to bounce back from their stunning defeats, assisted by an ever-willing Exempt Media

Scott @PowerLine blogged Recall that President Bush commenced his second term only three months ago. If President Bush gets rolled by Democrats in Congress on the battles he should win easily at the outset of his term, it's going to be a long, long four years.

Kelly calls for "a Republican with a spine." Kelly's prescription also explains the current Democratic/media war on Tom DeLay; the war on DeLay marks him as one of the most valuable players on the Republican team. President Bush's appearance with DeLay last week demonstrates that, whatever the justice of Kelly's criticism of Bush's political operation, President Bush understands the acuity of Kelly's prescription for Republicans.

I agree with Kelly, but I have hopes that within a couple of weeks we will see Republicans with a spine as they confront the Constitutional/Nuclear option