Hope Springs Eternal

Tomorrow, the great American pastime kicks off its 2006 season. As every baseball fan knows, their team is currently in first place. That will change month by month as the weaker teams fall off the radar.

The same thing is true in politics, the coming months will sort out the contenders from the pretenders. This cycle is a little different from the last couple, this time it is the republicans are the team is disarray, and their number one pitcher is mired in a losing streak. Losses in Baghdad, New Orleans, and Dubai come to mind in particular.

The republicans top pitcher will take to the hill tomorrow in Cincinnati where he will throw out the ceremonious first pitch before my beloved Reds play the Chicago Cubs. Afterward, Bush will sit like a pitcher with a no hitter going, alone, but unlike a pitcher with all his best stuff working, the rest of his team won't go near Bush for fear his negative energy will rub off on their own campaigns.

Republican Senator Mike DeWine, who will also be at the game, laughably had this to say about his avoidance of Bush. From Openers:

The Ohio Republican told reporters on Tuesday that he'd sit with the President "if I'm invited," but added that "a lot of people want to sit with the president."

Yea, a lot of people still do want to sit with Bush, unless you're running for the Senate, in which case he might as well have the plague. If DeWine isn't proudly sitting with Bush in Cincinnati, which is by far the most conservative city in Ohio, then Bush has to be considered a severe problem for republicans not just in Ohio, but also in a lot of other states.

Yea, like they say, hope does spring eternal, but this spring holds a lot more to be hopeful about than the previous two cycles.