EVERYTHING IS FALLING TO PIECES INSIDE THE BUSH REGIME

With an astoundingly low 26% approval rating-- meet one of the 26%-- Bush is being buffeted by advisors from all ends of the spectrum, from dangerous and psychotic warmongers like Fred Kagan and William Kristol to the anonymous but supposedly more realistic staffers inside the Regime referred to in the NY Times story this morning about how the White House was in the midst of an internal debate about ending the occupation (later denied). The whole Regime, and Bush in particular, is in full on panic mode, not so much because Bush is so hated by the public but because Republican Party elected officials are in the early stages of treating them like political pariahs. Conventionalk wisdom on the Hill is that anyone perceived to be an ally of Bush from a state that didn't try to secede from the Union in the 1860s, won't be around in 2009. They're all running around like the proverbial chickens without heads.

Bush is left with an ever dwindling cadre of extremist allies in the Senate-- the bloodthirsty Lieberman, no longer a Connecticut Democrat but a representative from Israel's far right Likkud Party-- Lindsey Graham, McCain (who can't even be counted on to show up at the Senate unless someone makes up for his desperate fundraising efforts), Jon Kyl, and a band of die-hard neo-Confederates. Among the Republicans who have publicly signaled that Bush's Iraq occupation is a dead-end are a gaggle of endangered and confused senators who have to face angry voters next year-- all of whom have been totally complicit in every step of this catastrophic situation: Pete "Sneaky Pete" Domenici (NM), Susan Collins (ME, who is changing her mind hourly), Lamar Alexander (TN), John Sununu (NH), John Warner (VA), and Chuck Hagel (NE). And a growing number of other Republicans not up for re-election next year are also telling Bush-- and their constituents-- that they've had it with his failed policies: Judd Gregg (NH), Robert Bennett (UT), Richard Lugar (IN), George Voinovich (OH), and Olympia Snowe (ME). If these Republicans were to vote with the Democrats on ending the occupation... boom, war is over. But they won't.

"We have an opportunity in the next couple of weeks to truly change our Iraq strategy, to make America more secure, more safe," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada. "The question is whether President Bush and the Senate Republicans will join in that effort. I hope they do."

The Senate began debate Monday on legislation that would authorize $649 billion in defense programs. By week's end, senators are expected to vote on an amendment by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., that would order troop withdrawals to begin in four months with the goal of completing the pullout by spring 2008.

The vote is likely to come on the heels of the Iraq progress report, which is expected to point to success in some areas-- such as the reduction in violence in the western Anbar province-- but ultimately argue that more time is needed to yield results. The report is expected to be released by week's end.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow on Monday tried to lower expectations on the report, contending that all of the additional troops had just gotten in place and it would be unrealistic to expect major progress by now.

And after all, what's a measly $12 billion a month down the Iraqi rat hole? Chump change, right? Well... we're certainly chumps for letting "our" government get away with this for even one more day. Oh, they don't literally throw it down a rat hole in the Iraqi desert. Most of it goes into creating generational wealth for the Bush family and their retainers and allies. And the 4,000 Americans killed over there? Republicans support the troops, right? (Is it any wonder the military can't meet their recruiting goals?)

Meanwhile Spencer Ackerman at the TPM Cafe has a very comprehensive guide to all the plans being pushed forward by the Democrats to end the occupation, the Webb Troop Readiness Amendment, the Levin-Reed Timeline redux, The Russ Feingold Funding Cutoff, Hillary Clinton's Deauthorization Amendment (revoking the 2002 congressional authorization to use force) and a bipartisan, sugar-coated bill that would tell Bush to implement the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group. The last one is the only one the disenchanted Republicans and the 4 or 5 most reactionary Democrats are going to get behind. It won't do much.