opening the door

Don't look now, but suddenly Bush looks vulnerable. With the war getting messier, the Katrina recovery still making headlines, the domestic spying program and Valerie Plame leaks both being investigated, the Abramoff scandal, the Cheney shooting and now the Dubai port sale, Bush is suddenly open to attack from the right as well as the left.

Consider the evidence. Here's David E. Sanger writing for the N.Y. Times on the port deal:

Representative Peter T. King, a New York Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said he had supported Congressional approval of the deal to force Mr. Bush's hand. Now, Mr. King said, "I'm keeping that in reserve. I'm certainly not ruling it out."

Since when does someone like Peter King get to dictate terms to the President?! Or more to the point, since when does he think he can do so without facing political consequences? (King isn't the only Republican quoted in the article; many have come out against the port deal.)

Then there's this--a story that feels significant to me because for the first time it has a number of Republicans speaking out against the President on an issue that isn't a scandal.

As Robert Pear writes in today's N.Y. Times:

All 50 governors signed a letter to the president opposing any cuts in the size of the National Guard.

Pear quotes several Republican governors criticizing the depletion of the National Guard.

True, the Governors are serving their own interests by wanting more National Guard troops around for use in state. But even so, they're embarrassing Bush and giving more ammo to critics of the war, moreso because every Governor signed the letter. Would the Republican Governors have been as willing to contradict the President even a year ago?

It seems clear that there's an opening for the Democrats to do well in this year's midterm elections. But then, in recent years, expecting Democrats to capitalize on Republican failures has only been asking for disappointment. This year, the opposition party still has some work to do in crafting its own solutions for the issues dominating the news, starting with the Iraq situation. Until the Democrats can do that, they'll likely continue to struggle, no matter how frustrated voters become with the Bush administration.

So how can Democrats differentiate themself from the Republicans, and show they have their own plan?
• Go after Bush and the Republicans right at their perceived strength: defense and national security. Question their handling of Iran, the preparation and strategy behind invading Iraq, letting Osama get away, the port deal, etc. Offer a plan to increase security at home and be strong internationally, while doing a better job of reaching out to our historic allies around the world. On Iraq, don't talk about pulling out; talk about staying until the job is done. Present a strategy of focusing on diplomacy to try to negotiate a coalition government among the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. (Granted, this isn't very different from the Bush strategy, but the U.S. is painted in a corner right now--and advocating pulling out won't be a winner for the Democrats this fall.)
• Portray the Republicans as corrupt and stale, and the Democrats as eager to bring a fresh new direction to the government. Hammer them on the Abramoff and DeLay scandals, and go after Cheney about Halliburton (there's a story in the news today about the military claiming that Halliburton overcharged the U.S. by about $250 million).
• Don't forget about the domestic issues the Republicans ignore. Advocate health care, education, etc.

If the Democrats can come up with a smart defensive strategy and a compelling domestic agenda, while painting the Republicans as corrupt and out of ideas, then they have a strong shot this fall.

Of course, that's easier said than done.