re: And in november?
The American system is not a parliamentary system as is common in Europe. It is possible for the party in power to have a president from the minority party. We cannot force an election as they can in France. We are stuck with the president we have until January, 2009, and he can only be constitutionally removed under certain circumstances and after a trial.
By "blaming the Democrats" I meant that it would allow him to withdraw from Iraq to satisfy his own party while allowing himself to avoid admitting his policy was flawed from the very beginning. After the American withdrawal from Vietnam, conducted under a Republican Administration, it was the Democrats who were blamed for not continuing the war.