Republicans are trying to ditch Bush before 2008 elections

According to the Politico, Republicans are trying to create a distance between themselves and their leader, George Bush:

Now that those sympathies have somewhat cooled, the effects are visible: Republican House members upset about immigration policy have spoken of Bush in disparaging terms. And presidential contenders like Rudy Giuliani are striking change-the-course themes in their rhetoric, even while continuing to back Bush over the Iraq war.

The change, say GOP operatives, is the absence of fear about being perceived as something less than an ardent Bush backer. "What's the penalty now, Karl being mad at you?" Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio asked with a laugh, referring to Bush political adviser Karl Rove. "Who cares? Even his former chief strategist (Matthew Dowd) walked away from him and pissed all over him."

Who cares about Karl Rove. Wow, how the mighty have fallen.

Obviously, part of the 2008 GOP election strategy for presidential and congressional candidates alike is to pretend they don't own George Bush. They'll need the distance to have any chance of success. Our job is to make sure that George Bush is draped around all of their necks. They created the monster. They own him. There will be no distance.