NO one-party state for you!

Sorry, Karl. Your dreams of a permanent Republican majority are kaput. You have nobody but yourself and your boy, George, to blame.

A solid Republican majority seemed within reach, especially after the country rallied behind Bush after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Bush's Republicans defied history by gaining seats in the 2002 mid-term congressional elections, which usually tilt against the president's party. And the Republican brand name took on new luster that year, as the party moved into a tie with the Democrats in terms of voters' self-proclaimed party identification - 43 percent called themselves Democrats or leaning that way, and the same percentage called themselves Republican.

Now that's all gone.

Today, 50 percent of Americans call themselves Democrats or lean that way, while 35 percent call themselves Republicans or lean that way.

"Over the past five years, the political landscape of the nation has shifted from one of partisan parity to a sizeable Democratic advantage," the Pew analysis said. "But the change reflects Republican losses more than Democratic gains."

"That's due to dissatisfaction with the White House," Kohut added in an interview.

Dissatisfaction with the White House stems from many sources. Soaring federal spending. Budget deficits. Illegal immigration. Katrina. And, of course, Iraq.

That's what happens when you ignore governance in favor of winning elections at all costs. The American people crave competent, responsible governance. When you deny them that, they deny you the ability to win elections.