CONRAD BURNS, RICK SANTORUM & JOE LIEBERMAN ALL HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON TODAY: BAD NEWS FROM SUSA

EVERYONE RAISE THEIR HAND WHO THINKS IT'S A COINCIDENCE THAT CONRAD BURNS & RICK SANTORUM HAVE THE LOWEST APPROVAL RANKINGS IN THE SENATE. IF YOUR HAND IS UP, GO SIT IN THE CORNER-- WITH JOE LIEBERMAN

The new SUSA scores for the U.S. Senate just came out. Bottom of the barrel: Conrad Burns (crimes: unbridled corruption and extreme wingnutery) with a negative 24% net approval and Rick Santorum (crimes: even more extreme wingnutery and sneakier and less overt, but no less avaricious, corruption) with a negative 19% net approval. Both have to face their pissed off constituents in November.

While we were checking out Burns' and Santorum's venture into uncharted territory of voter disapproval, we decided to take a look at some of the other Bush Regime rubber stamps who are up for re-election and see what their constituents are thinking about them right at the moment. Let's see... it looks like someone left Mike DeWine uncorked and his bouquet has turned rather vinegary. His close personal and professional relationships with the Ohio political crime syndicates run by GOP kingmakers Thomas Noe and Alex Arshinkoff seem to have finally caught up with him-- that and the unmasking of his fake "moderate" voting record. He's got a minus 8 net disapproval. (Kentucky's Jim Bunning is almost as unpopular but he was recently posthumously re-elected and his corpse won't have to face the voters again for 4 years.)

Let's see, who else has an under 50% approval rating who's got to justify his behavior to the voters in 5 months? Oh, yes, Jim Talent (R-MO) who has a 48% approval, Bill Nelson (?-NE) with a 49% approval, Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) with a 49% approval).

Now Lieberman is a special case. He has a healthy-ish 55% approval rating in Connecticut. Unfortunately-- for him/fortunately for the nation-- that won't help him much in the August 8 Democratic primary. Turns out, only 46% of Democrats approve of his Bush-enabling job performance and, worse, yet, among self-identified liberals-- who are far more likely to vote in the Democratic primary than just run-of-the-mill garden variety Democrats-- only 40% approve. (67% of liberals approve of Connecticut's other Democratic senator, Chis Dodd.) Ready for Senator Ned Lamont?