Bush's Rubber stamp Republican Ros-Lehtinen now claims she's really not a "Rubber stamp" for Bush

This is rich. Florida Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has been a staunch ally of George Bush for the past eight years. If Bush said jump, Ileana asked "how high?" Over and over and over. You name it -- Iraq, SCHIP -- she was there for Bush.

So guess who is now claiming she's not a "Rubber Stamp" for Bush? Ileana. Her campaign actually used the term "rubber stamp"

With President Bush's popularity hovering in the 30s, a little breathing room might be good for some Republicans.

At least that's what Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is thinking as she faces what could be her first significant reelection challenge.

Out of the blue, Ros-Lehtinen's office Tuesday shot out two press releases: ''list of domestic initiatives where Ros-Lehtinen has broken with the current administration'' and ``list of foreign policy initiatives where Ros-Lehtinen has broken with the current administration.''

Her office said it was interested in debunking any perception that the generally reliably Republican is a ''rubber stamp'' for President Bush.

Okay, if you have to say you're not a "rubber stamp," it's too late.

Ros-Lehtinen is clearly freaked. And, she should be.

This year, Ileana has a very tough opponent: Annette Taddeo. And, Taddeo's campaign smacked back hard against the attempt by Ros-Lehtinen to run from Bush:

In a press release Wednesday, Taddeo's campaign said Ros-Lehtinen has supported Bush 85 percent of the time, and listed five examples, including voting against the renewal of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or S-CHIP. Taddeo, who was born with a cleft lip, has said that vote was the tipping point that made her jump in the race for Florida's 18th congressional district.

Also as part of her platform, Taddeo has frequently criticized Ros-Lehtinen for her support of the war in Iraq, which Taddeo opposes.

Keep an eye on this race. Ileana is running from Bush, so she's running scared. Annette Taddeo can win this race -- and she should.

We set up an ActBlue page for Taddeo. I have a feeling this campaign is going to be a fun one. The district runs from South Beach, through Miami to Key West -- it will be a key battleground in the Presidential race. I'm thinking it would be a good place to do get-out-the-vote in the fall, too.