Arthur's Seat

One swallow in summer

In California the GOP hold a congressional seat in a special election; what does this mean for this year's mid-terms? Instapundit thinks not much. A bit like forecasting the UK general election from the results of one by-election. But, it will give the GOP a morale boost if nothing else.

Politics in cycles

Will the Congressional mid-terms in 2006 be as cruel to the GOP as they were to the Dems in 1994? The WSJ thinks so - the Republicans have wasted their control of federal government, and US voters are unlikely to reward them for that.

More from the "F*ck Yeah" school of foreign affairs

Any song that has as its chorus the words, "Ted Kennedy, Wrong; Cindy Sheehan; Wrong; French;Wrong..." deserves an airing.

I can't quite see Billy Bragg doing a cover version for the English local elections...

h/t Gina Cobb

When free trade and elections clash

When the centre of the free world starts getting all protectionist and insular, it can mean only one thing: midterm elections are approaching.

Pass the ports

The House vote on the Dubai-US ports deal underscored that Mr Bush, who still has nearly three years to go in his second term, has become perilously weak, according to the FT. However, the decision of DP to withdraw in favour of a US "entity" has, according to others, strengthened the President's hand, and dropped the Dems in it (again).

When P&O owned these ports nobody in the US objected, which is odd, given our record for determined destruction of US government property.

A speechwriter writes

Peggy Noonan in the WSJ hears the POTUS* speak on the stump and wishes he would replicate the language and the content in the SOTU** next week.

* You don't watch West Wing? - ok then, President of the United States, as in "There's a Mr Potus on the 'phone for you".
** State of the Union Address

Update: Ben McIntyre in today's Times laments the passing of West Wing.

Liberals are stingy

...according to the 2005 Generosity Index. Not a single "Blue" State in the top 25; imagine that.

US politics - second-term exam

While the indictment of I. Lewis Libby struck down a key adviser, it wasn't as damaging as administration officials had feared. Discuss

The WSJ has a round up of Libbygate, and Instapundit reviews the rolling news.

Is it too late?

Facing a convergence of crises threatening his administration, President Bush and his team are devising plans to salvage the remainder of his presidency by applying the lessons of past two-term chief executives and refocusing attention on the president's larger economic and foreign policy goals.

The WaPo gives an insight into the White House strategy to retrieve the Bush second term. It is still possible, but it hardly looks like the "glad, confident morning" of ten months ago.

Update: The WSJ adds its tuppence worth...

The President rebuked...

...quite magnificently, by Robert Bork.