Republican Strategy

With the Bush administration flailing for support for its policies, it's little surprise that congressional Republicans are trying to regain some of the power they've given up since 9-11. That said, its ironic that they feel they're on such shakey ground.

If you'll take a quick trip with me back to the 2004 elections, you might remember that Bush called his victory a "mandate" for conservative policies. Now, less than 2 years later and due to a large amount of bumbling policies, that mandate has proven to be nonexistent. Of course, much of this is political positioning for mid-term elections, now less than six months off.

One of the things Congressional Republicans are squaring off with Bush about is the raid on Rep. William J. Jefferson's office. He's a Democrat from Louisiana, and by all accounts, appears to be very guilty of the bribery charges being brought against him. And this couldn't be a better time or a better issue for Republicans, as their own Tom Delay heads into the thick of a major corruption court battle.

What makes this case particularly dangerous in the hands of Republicans is that, despite their own ethical failures, they can point to Jefferson and keep the media spotlight off their own corruption. And they can keep the corruption issue alive, possibly without endangering themselves.

It's really no secret that the two major parties are completely corrupt, and the two-party system is structure to keep it that way. It is, however, always surprising how voters will regularly forget this fact and keep the two parties in power.