Bye Bye Bush

ST. PAUL -- The Republicans may not have held much of a convention so far, but they still know how to put on a show. As thousands protested in the streets, the Palins announced the latest addition to their family, and the GOP turned its national convention into a Jerry Lewis-style telethon for the victims of Hurricane Gustav, John McCain's party began its transition into the post-Bush era. Although Laura Bush and Cindy McCain addressed the opening session, speeches by President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were the storm's first casualties. But the new titular head of the Republican Party probably doesn't mind: while McCain is locked in a tight race against Barack Obama, the president's approval ratings have been stuck in the 30s -- ever since the last time a hurricane hit New Orleans. The biggest -- only? -- argument the Democrats made in Denver was that McCain represented another four years of Bush. If voters want to turn the page on the Bush economy, Bush's war, and the red-blue political divisions that have dominated the Bush years, Obama is the only alternative. While the Bush-McCain linkage might not be as self-evident to swing voters as the Democratic base, it is too close for the new Republican nominee's comfort. In some ways, it is unfair that this is how the GOP faithful will bid Bush farewell. More than any recent Republican president, including Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, he and his aides were actively involved in party-building. The Bush White House helped recruit top-shelf candidates for Senate seats in South Dakota, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, Florida, and North Carolina when some of those Republicans would have preferred to run for other offices. These efforts paved for way for the Republican pickups in the 2002 and 2004 elections. Bush was generous with his time and his coattails in the red states, making frequent campaign swings and fundraising stops. Meanwhile, Karl Rove saw himself not just as the president's chief politic...