The House Collapses In just the last several days, knowledgeable political analysts on the right have come to a startling conclusion: The Republicans are going to lose control of the House of Representatives in November - and there is a 50-50 chance that they'll lose control of the U.S. Senate as well. Here's what has happened to bring so many analysts to this consensus: 1 Iraq is sliding more and more into an obvious civil war. And last week's Senate testimony from Centcom Comdr. General John Abizaid and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Peter Pace that the "sectarian strife" was very possibly moving toward a civil war was a startling admission by the two military men overseeing the Iraq campaign.
When they confirmed the very real possibility of a civil war that sent shivers up and down the spines of dozens of GOP incumbents running this November. And the White House - already consumed with the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict - is at a loss over how to keep painting an optimistic picture of a deteriorating reality in Iraq.
Make no mistake about it, the GOP had hoped - so said Karl Rove - to make Iraq the centerpiece of their fall election strategy. The line was going to be: "If you want to cut and run, go with the Democrats; If you want to be strong, stick with Bush and the Republicans."
But that clear-cut approach isn't working anymore; Iraq is such a mess - with little hope remaining of any type of success - that the majority of voters are now troubled over the entire effort. Politically, Iraq is not helping the GOP.
Neither are escalating gas prices and the ongoing immigration disaster - which Bush has so mishandled as to divide his party.
The Democrats are, of course, totally inept, incompetent, and immoral; so what else is new?
The voters are disconsolate over the direction of our country. All surveys show that the American people are pessimistic about their future - and cynical about their government officials.
If indeed the House and or Senate switch hands this fall, it does not mean anything for 2008. It is a vote on President Bush and the Republican leadership. And any pick-ups by the Democrats will be strictly anti-Bush and anti-GOP - not pro-Democratic Party.
But we all know they will mis-read their new "mandate" and proceed to launch a million investigations of the Bush Administration; they will spend all of 2007 ripping Bush and the Republican Party to shreds.
That's politics.
As for 2008, this deteriorating domestic and foreign situation argue all the more for the Independent Third Candidate written often about in this space. Neither party inspires any confidence - and the 2008 candidates are indeed a desultory bunch.
What we have yet to see is a conservative version of the left's http://MoveOn.org: a conservative grass-roots and net-roots group that taps into the passions of the right.
There is widespread anger "out there" over immigration, amnesty for the 20-30 million illegals already here, Dubai Ports World, international trade agreements that seem to ship our jobs overseas and a federal government that is spending money like the liberals used to.
All of this anger and alienation is just waiting to be tapped. And none of today's Republican candidates - not McCain, Rudy, Allen, Romney - none of them have a clue how deep this anger is or how to "get" it.
2008 is the ideal time for a new candidate - not a part of the ongoing mess in D.C. - to emerge and re-assert Reagan Conservatism.
That candidate can win the White House in 2008.
Now comes the big question: Who is he and when will we see him?
