God was on their side so democracy need not be the ultimate standard. I see Delay's power grab in Texas and high status in the Republican party as more a symptom of this than Bush's efforts to grab all the power they thought they needed to fight terrorism. The former was a naked power grab, the latter was a questionable tactic in an admirable goal. I think Bush floated in a sea of crap party and his limited intellectual abilities (as opposed to raw intelligence) allowed him to float in a state of altered reality through a series of crisis. The Republican party flouted it's ideals (the rule of law, fiscal and personal responsibility) and stated goals (term limits/ balanced budget) in the pursuit of power to ramrod issues that the majority of Americans dissapproved of or at least stagnantly divided on. They tarnished their brand so badly I think a new party will have to bear the standard for fiscal responsibility and strong defense.

Regards,
Mark