The conventional wisdom seems to be that the Democrats will put in a good showing in the midterm elections next November. Maybe so. But with 10 months to go in the election cycle, President Bush, who has been slammed in the polls for the past year, is mounting an impressive comeback. The only question now is whether or not he can continue along this recovery path -- and I wouldn't bet against him.
In numerous speeches and proactive press conferences, Bush closed the year in campaign style, shifting from commander in chief to salesman in chief in order to merchandise and market his successes. Even while acknowledging some miscues, he answered his critics by hammering hard on an Iraq strategy for victory -- not retreat. On the domestic front, he at last highlighted the strength of the U.S. economy, which is undoubtedly the single most underrated good-news story of 2005.
Polling data show this strategy to be working -- Bush's favorables have moved up about 10 points to nearly 50 percent in only a few weeks. A string of positive economic reports bolstered the president's case at home, while a third successful election in Iraq underscored the potential for optimism there.
The Democrats, meanwhile, are helping Bush and the GOP by reminding the electorate that they remain soft and untrustworthy on national security and the terror war, while policy-less and obstructionist on budget and tax issues.
In particular, the Murtha-Pelosi obsession with immediate troop withdrawal in Iraq is playing poorly nationwide -- even splitting the Democrats internally. Worse, the Democrats' ACLU-type response to reports of National Security Agency eavesdropping without court warrants is a huge mistake. The latest Rasmussen poll reports that 64 percent of respondents believe the NSA should be allowed to tap cell phones and e-mails in order to intercept communications between suspected foreign and domestic terrorists.
The key word here? National security. The key thought here? Carping Dems are not to be trusted. The key political issue here? There's a good reason why the United States has not been attacked since 9-11: Tough security policies by the entire U.S. government, at home and abroad, designed and administered by the Bush administration, are in place.