Why the GOP truly is in trouble

Forget presidential approval ratings, popularity indexes, or the outgassings of pundits, I'll tell you why the GOP is in trouble. I saw definitive proof this past week when visiting my 93-year-old grandmother in Clinton, Iowa. When asked what she thought of President George Bush, she turned red as she exclaimed, "I've been a lifelong Republican and I voted for George Bush in the last two elections, but he is the worst president in the history of this country! He should be impeached or worse! The war in Iraq is a God-awful mess -- absolute foolishness -- and there's no forgiving him for it." Her opinion of Vice President Dick Cheney is even less cheritable, "The most mean-spirited crook ever to hold the office."

Now, when I heard my grandmother say these things last week I was shocked. She has been a lifelong Republican -- can't stand the Democrats -- and places Ronald Reagan on pedestal in the stratosphere. So for her to offer more than a mild rebuke of our President came as a complete surprise. What's more, she stated she may vote non-Republican in 2008. She probably won't vote Democrat, but perhaps the Greens, Independents, or Libertarians will pick up her support. So much for the GOP base...