17 May 2007

Novak: GOP loyalists can't wait for Bush to leave town

Say what you will about righty ghoul Bob Novak, but it's hard to deny that his political assessments are an interesting read.  His take on the second GOP debate is a good example.  Some nuggets from his latest Evans-Novak Political Report:

* He describes "severe problems" affecting the campaign of ex-NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani: "His now unmistakable pro-choice position on abortion may be enough by itself to sink him, but many Republicans also object to his authoritarian style. While he still leads in the polls, a large portion of the remaining majority of Republican voters oppose him strongly."

* Regarding the ever-more irrelevant Sen. John McCain: "To his credit, McCain gave straightforward answers to his position on immigration and campaign-finance reform. The problem is that he gave answers the Republican base does not terribly want to hear."

* Ex-Mass. governor and victim of Sharptonian prejudice Mitt Romney: "[He] did not make any major gaffes ... but he certainly failed to shine."

Novaks adds re: cigar-sucking former Sen. Fred Thompson, absent from the debates as he is not yet "officially" a candidate: "[H]is performances so far have not been stellar."

Elsewhere in his latest newsletter, Novak talks of "poor Republican morale" in the Democratically-controlled Congress, that it "cannot be exaggerated." He adds, "Party loyalists there -- we refer not only to moderates but staunch conservatives as well -- have turned their backs on President George W. Bush and admit that they cannot wait for him and his administration to leave town."

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