ìCourting the Kerry Republicans,î by Marie Cocco, Washington Post, 4 Aug, p. A19.

ìNo signs of a cease-fire in written war on Bush: Five more major releases coming before election,î by Bob Minzesheimer, USA Today, 4 Aug, p. 6D.

ìEuropeís Choice,î by Victor David Hanson, Wall Street Journal, 4 Aug, p. A12.

ìGeneral Malaise,î by Eliot A. Cohen, WSJ, 4 Aug, p. A12.

You know damn well there ainít no such thing as Bush Democrats, because even those of us that supported the President in the GWOT and two wars it has so far spawned havenít emerged from those collective experiences convinced that Kerry could do a worse job of it. So when the environment, tax-cuts, etc. are all tossed in on top, and I start thinking about who Dick Cheney would pick as a Supreme Court judge, thereís not a lot of inner drive to be found for moving me toward Bush.

On the other hand, the notion of Kerry Republicans seems a whole lot less far-fetched, because there are more than a few GOPers who feel betrayed by this administrationís performance. I think what Bush may end up regretting most is the Medicare prescription drug package, which has vehemently pissed off just about every elder Iíve ever met, known, or even been within hearing distance of. Lots of those elders would naturally vote Republican, but the soreness on that issue is deep, Deep, DEEP!

Meanwhile, the expected right-wing assault on Kerry is looking fairly tame to the truly nasty one mounted by the left-wing on Bush. With the Dems firing 3-4 shots for every one the Reps get off, you gotta worry about Bushís chances if youíre a supporter.

To me, when I see staunch Republicans like Hanson and Cohen whining on not about Kerry per se, but people who like him (Europeans and retired military flags, respectively), thatís a bad sign for Bush. Losers get attacked directly, whereas winners typically have the values of their supporters attacked.

Then again, doesnít Hanson just whine on about everyone all the time? What a cranky old bastard he is.