More Bush Dead-enders Are Giving Up On Him

because something is happening here
but you don't know what it is
do you,
mister jones?

-Bob Dylan, "Ballad of a Thin Man," 1965 from Highway 61 Revisited

On Tuesday both the House and the Senate overrode Bush's veto of a Medicare bill by gigantic margins, 383-41 in the House and only 26 pathetic dead-enders sticking with Bush in the Senate. Many, especially in the Senate, backed down from reflexive rubber stamp positions in fear of retribution at the polls in November. The pressure was so intense on John Cornyn and Roger Wicker that in Texas and Mississippi many consider their votes to override Bush's veto to be Rick Noriega's and Ronnie Musgrove's first Senate votes. But not all the Republicans who switched up are seeking re-election. Some did it out of exasperation with Bush and his crumbling and dangerously insular regime.

Yesterday CongressDaily pointed out that several GOP loyalists never vote against the party no matter what-- except that they just did on Tuesday. Although the two Mississippi rubber stamps are seeking re-election-- and one, Wicker, is probably going to lose-- they were two of four Republicans just so fed up with Bush that he crossed the aisle and voted with the Democrats to override Bush's highly unpopular veto.

Despite some Republican pleas for President Bush to bow to the 69-30 cloture vote July 9 and not make them vote again on a veto override, the president rejected the bill, citing its reduction in government payments for private insurers that offer Medicare Advantage plans.

Republican Sens. Christopher (Kit) Bond of Missouri, Richard Lugar of Indiana and Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker of Mississippi stuck with GOP leaders in opposing the Medicare bill through two cloture votes, weathering intense lobbying by physicians and seniors after the first vote in June to limit debate. But on Tuesday, the four switched sides and voted to override the veto.

"I suspect perhaps the rapport or communication between the White House and the Senate, at least, throughout all of this ... it just was incomplete," Lugar said. "I won't say it had broken down, but the understanding of where we were all proceeding certainly wasn't there."

A GOP aide for a different senator said the White House asked its members to stick their necks out one time too many.

"Republican senators initially stood on principle because they agreed with the White House that it was a bad bill, and they took plenty of heat for it," the aide said. "But in the end, after the clock had run out, and even though it seemed clear on the Hill the votes weren't there, the White House sent it back up to ask members to walk the plank once again. It definitely seemed aloof at best."

Lugar explained Wednesday, as most of the other three senators who switched their votes did through statements the day before, that he saw no other option than to support stopping the physicians' 10.6 percent reimbursement cut.

"Now maybe the White House staff didn't understand that, but if so, they need to, sort of, understand and get back in touch with members over here," Lugar said.

He added, "I voted to maintain the leadership's position simply out of loyalty...

Eventually Lugar and the rest of the Republicans who jumped off Bush's sinking ship realized that this kind of blind loyalty is for dogs and that their first allegiance should be towards their constituents, not towards an out of touch and arrogant-- and despised-- party leader. When asked what he would tell the Regime when they come bitching to him, Lugar summed up exactly how most Republicans in Congress feel towards Bush now:

"Well, you better get real and understand what's occurring out here in America, with actual people."

Probably a little late for Bush, for McCain and for Republicans who have to face the voters in November. Maybe Lugar or Bond could slip this onto Bush's i-Pod instead of "My Sharona":