THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE IDIOTS, NOT JUST STUPID:

Bush boxed in his congressional foes: Democrats took the Hill but were stymied by a steadfast president (Janet Hook, 12/21/07, Los Angeles Times)

Rather than turn tail for his last two years in the White House, Bush has used every remaining weapon in his depleted arsenal -- the veto, executive orders, the loyalty of Republicans in Congress -- to keep Democrats from getting their way.He has struck a combative pose, dashing hopes that he would be more accommodating in the wake of his party's drubbing in the 2006 midterm voting. [...]

[O]n a host of foreign and domestic policy issues, backed by a remarkably disciplined Republican Party in the House and Senate, Bush has been able to confound Democrats. It has been a source of great frustration to the party that came to power with sky-high expectations and the belief it had a mandate for change. And it is a vivid reminder of how much clout even a weakened president can have -- especially one as single-minded as Bush.

"We have custody of Congress, but we don't have control," said Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Valley Village). "Bush has shown, time and again, that he's a very stubborn guy. November 2006 didn't change that."

Republican cohesion in Congress blocked Democrats (Carl Hulse and Robert Pear, December 21, 2007, NY Times)

It was a picture-perfect start for Nancy Pelosi as she took the speaker's podium last January in her tailored aubergine suit surrounded by children to emphasize her singular status as the first woman, mother and grandmother to lead the House of Representatives.

What Pelosi did not know, as she beamed at her fellow Democrats cheering their return to power, was that the glum Republicans witnessing the tableau would remain persistently unified against her and her ambitious new majority in the legislative year ahead.

Defying expectations and surprising even themselves, Republicans were able to slow and sometimes halt Democratic momentum by refusing to break with President George W. Bush and his war strategy, no matter how unpopular, and by resisting social initiatives, no matter how appealing.

Democrats with a similar minority -- and no presidential veto -- had been able to stop the GOP on matters like SS reform, yet she was surprised that they turned the tables?

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 21, 2007 8:17 AM