More lousy numbers for Bush, GOP

Bush sinks to 33 percent approval, 65 percent disapproval in the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll. Meanwhile, the Republican-led congress registers its weakest public approval ever.

Democrats are now favored to handle all 10 issues measured in the Post-ABC News poll. The survey also shows a clear majority of the public (56 percent) saying they would prefer to see Democrats in control of Congress after the November elections. Only a third want the GOP to remain in the majority. Nearly three times as many Americans say they will use the elections to express opposition to the president (30 percent) than to show support for him (12 percent).

Here's the trick, though. The failure of beltway Democrats to rise up en masse and insist on accountability for the president and the Republicans has kept them from distinguishing themselves as sharply as they might.

The survey suggests dissatisfaction with Congress extends to members of both parties. Only 39 percent approve of the job Democrats in Congress are doing, while 58 percent disapprove -- slightly higher than the level of disapproval registered before the 1994 midterm elections.

This is what Democrats in congress need to understand: Karl Rove's rhetorical jujitsu notwithstanding, the Bush movement is over. The man is not just unpopular. He is not just disliked and distrusted. Americans have begun to loathe him. His authoritarian impulses are frightening, and voters realize that the Republicans in congress have not merely allowed Bush to begin dismantling our rights. They have assisted him in doing so. The people want someone to hold him in check. They will enthusiastically support the Democratic party if it promises to do so.

So far, the will of establishment Democrats to hold Bush accountable is not wholly evident. After a good start, in which Pelosi assured voters that Bush's unlawful actions would be investigated, she backed away from the position of strength. She fell for Rove's "warning" that the voters would punish the Democrats if they dared to whisper the word "impeachment." This, despite the fact that Bush is one of the most ineffective and unpopular presidents in American history.

Democrats need to get over the desire to find common cause with Bush's Republican Party. We don't need to work with them. We need to eliminate them. They are hurting America and they have to be stopped. The only way Democrats will get the chance is if they convince the American people that they can and will stop the GOP from damaging our country any further.