Squander

Yes, Congress has low approval ratings. The lower numbers come entirely from Democrats who are disappointed with the Bush Dogs giving the President whatever he wants, on Iraq and on domestic spying. I hardly think that this will translate into a wholesale abandonment of the Democratic Party, but those Bush Dogs ought to read these numbers with concern. I do think there is a danger of the Democrats squandering this moment by being timid and not offering a real challenge to the President on big issues where everyone's paying attention. The FISA bill killed what could have been decent momentum going into the August recess. What they do on Iraq in September will go a long way to determining their future.