Put Down the Rubber Stamp

If you had any question about whether Democrats would ensure that next week’s midterm elections turn on public frustration and doubts about George W. Bush’s Iraq war fiasco, you need look no further than the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s latest TV ad. Republicans want to shift the focus to John Kerry’s bungled criticism of Bush’s war, or scare their rapidly shrinking base with the prospect that “liberal” Nancy Pelosi of California will become the next Speaker of the House, unless right-wingers turn out in record numbers at the polls. But Democrats are clearly not letting them get away with such tricks. They’ve already accomplished a major task, by nationalizing this year’s midterms, making them a referendum on Bush administration failures and GOP scandals. Now’s the time to really turn up the heat, and this ad certainly helps.