Thanks to Josh for kicking off the discussion-what signaled Bush's demise? Not simply the end of Bush, but the end of the stranglehold that the conservatives had on our era...I agree with Todd that Katrina was monumental. The Democrats (and progressives generally) sometimes get so defensive about our belief in government doing good (in the face of the onslaught of liberterians and conservatives of all stripes) that we forget that in fact, the American public believes that government has basic responsibilities to its people--and to keep them safe, to respond to disaster--well, these are among the most basic. On that score, the Administration was shown to have no ability to deliver. But still--I can't help wondering--without Iraq, would the Dems have won Congress?

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