I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that President Bush is hurting his own party. With his tanking approval ratings and his failed policies at the forefront of the current debate, anyone who seems to take the same side as the president on a given issue is pretty much looping the noose around their necks (McCain anyone?). However, I had no idea it was this bad until I caught this article from Newsweek.

But According to the new NEWSWEEK Poll, the public’s approval of Bush has sunk to 28 percent, an all-time low for this president in our poll, and a point lower than Gallup recorded for his father at Bush Sr.’s nadir. The last president to be this unpopular was Jimmy Carter who also scored a 28 percent approval in 1979. This remarkably low rating seems to be casting a dark shadow over the GOP’s chances for victory in ’08. The NEWSWEEK Poll finds each of the leading Democratic contenders beating the Republican frontrunners in head-to-head matchups.

At this point, Bush has tied for the 2nd least popular president of all time. He just has a short four point drop to match Nixon. Meanwhile, at the GOP debate, his name was mentioned but one time. He’s the Typhoid Mary of the Republican campaign, and any candidate who wants to be successful in the general election is going to have to distance himself from Bush by any means necessary. They’re going to need a Ron Paul type, against the Iraq War but very strong on border security. You know, an actual conservative.

Meanwhile I’m still holding out for Gravel. Between those two, I’d probably be happy either way. Strong anti-interventionist candidates, Paul even voted against the Defense of Marriage Act and agrees it’s a state issue not a federal one. Hard for me to complain about that given his Romney/Giuliani brethren scrambling to say they’re all against same-sex marriage because that’s the more popular stance on the right.

The entire game is moving to the left. Mike Gravel has become an internet sensation due to his performance, voting against the Iraq War is now a badge of honor and the more anti-Bush you can be the better you’ll do. Staunch anti-gay marriage stances will wreck general election prospects. Our Democratic candidates are getting more popular by being more liberal, and the Republican candidates are drifting left to maintain popularity.

I’m excited for 2008, even if it is a little early.