When is winning losing and losing winning? 2006 edition

In September 2004 I wrote the following:

I think that nearly anyone who stumbles on this humble blog would agree that another Bush win would be a disaster for the country, world and human race in general. What about the political parties though. It has been mentioned by some on the various Republican blogs I sneak into once and awhile that a Bush win in November might be a disaster for the Republican party and would in fact guarantee a Democratically controlled House and Senate in 2006 and a Democratic president in 2008. On the other side Bush has screwed things up so bad that there is no possibility that Kerry will be able to straighten things out in 2 or 4 years meaning republican victories.

How prescient of me don't you think. But of course many Republicans were saying the same thing. I quoted Andrew Sullivan.

I wonder if either candidate has pondered the benefits of actually losing this election? If Kerry wins, you can see how the Republicans would then blame all the inevitable mess in Iraq on his vacillation (even if he doesn't budge an inch), and marshall a Tet offensive argument that implies that if only Washington hadn't given up, the Blessed Leader would have seen the war to victory. Kerry wouldn't be able to win, whatever he does. And because he'd be more fiscally responsible than Bush (could anyone be less fiscally responsible?) he wouldn't have much in the way of domestic goodies to keep his base happy. But if Bush wins and heads into a real, live second Vietnam in Iraq, his party will split, the country will become even more bitterly polarized than now (especially if he's re-elected because he's not Kerry) and he'll become another end-of-career Lyndon Johnson.

As the war in Iraq continues to go south both on the ground and in the polls and Bush ratings continue to drop to new lows seven months before the mid term elections the Republicans are jumping ship and the base is down to the hard core cultists. It seems either possible or even probable that the Democrats will regain the majority in both the House and the Senate and George W. Bush is becoming critically wounded duck. George Bush may have won the election but the ultimate winners my be the Democrats.