It is never too early to accept the fact that there may be many loyal and dedicated Republicans who just don't like Bush-any one of the three Bushes for that matter. It is unfortunate that in focusing on the forthcoming November elections, many Republican strategists have made the Bush defense mandatory as a litmus test of sorts. Truth as I see it, is that the progress, or lack of it, in Iraq, the state of the economy, of energy and illegal immigration, and other main issues will determine the Republican fortunes, and not the President's personal polularity ratings.

True, his popularity rating may reflect successes and/or failures in the areas Americans may feel are most important, but that is merely a case of the dog properly wagging the tail. In his years in office, GWB has amazingly managed to have become both controversial and irrelevant at the same time. In contrast to a Reagan who possessed a wonderful sense of timing in addition to his ability to make us feel comfortable and genuinely cared for, or to a Nixon whose raw competence and understanding (except for Watergate) were undeniable, the second Bush remains to this day an unknown and easily maligned quantity.

This is the man who took his first photo ops in front of the Pentagon after 9/11, instead of in New York City. He allowed Hillary Clinton to beat him to the punch and be the one we remember standing next to Rudy Giuliani at ground zero of possibly the greatest single disaster in US history. Was he a coward, or a fool, or were his advisers? But then I also remember Bush Sr. giving his interviews at the height of Desert Storm, out of his golf cart! As I said, it is not too difficult for some of us Republicans not to be overly enthusiastic with this entire family and its Maine/Texas/Saudi connections.

The danger lies in that we are heading in the direction of  making President Bush a litmus test for the 2008 Republican Presidential candidate(s), in addition to those running in 2006. If the man presently given the best chance to stomp whoever his Democratic opponent, that is Rudy Giuliani, is denied the nomination for failing such a test, in addition to the right to life etc., we risk a succesful third party candidacy. A candidacy that could gridlock the electoral college and throw us into a constitutional crisis.