That Man Date's not wearing clothes

Stop the presses! Man bites dog!

The Washington Post finally figures out that Bush's mandate...not so much.

The day after he won a second term in November, President Bush offered his view of the new political landscape.

"When you win there is a feeling that the people have spoken and embraced your point of view," he said, "and that's what I intend to tell the Congress, that I made it clear what I intend to do as president . . . and the people made it clear what they wanted, now let's work together."

Six months ago, this comment was widely viewed as more than just a postgame boast. Among campaign strategists and academics, there was ample speculation that Bush's victory, combined with incremental gains in the Republican congressional majority, signaled something fundamental: a partisan and ideological "realignment" that would reshape politics over the long haul.

As the president passed the 100-day mark of his second term over the weekend, the main question facing Bush and his party is whether they misread the November elections. With the president's poll numbers down, and the Republican majority ensnared in ethical controversy, things look much less like a once-a-generation realignment.

Well, no shit. When an election is won by around three percentage points, that is rarely indicative of a massive shift in electoral opinion. It's usually, in fact, considered a close election and a sharply divided electorate.

And yet, and yet, it has taken the stalled Social Security effort for the scales to fall from the eyes of our cowed and cow-like Washington press corps.

What continues to go unremarked upon is, what kind of arrogance, hubris, cockiness... whatever... does it take for a politician to say that "the people have spoken" in the wake of three point victory at the polls? And what kind of reporter does not call him on it?

Because, let's face it, this is the only mandate preznit's ever gonna get.