Falling Like Flies

By Baxter

Just one week till the Inauguration, and we cats are stocking up on Pounces and catnip for a long, satisfying day in front of the telly.

Meanwhile, things are, um, not so good in Republican World.

Their wildly unpopular President, who can't seem to take a hint, keeps popping up with farewell after farewell. The one he held yesterday was worthy of Captain Queeg. (George W., we'll let you in on a little secret: You didn't keep America safe in the first place.)

As if that weren't bad enough... With George Voinovich's admission that he won't be able to weather a 2010 re-election campaign in Ohio — lots of people out of work in Ohio, you know — the Republicans, heading into the next election cycle, are already down four Senators: Mr. Voinovich, Missouri's Kit Bond, that nutty Sam Brownback from Kansas, and the ever-ineffectual Mel Martinez of Florida. (They've got 20 seats to defend next year, compared to the Democrats' 17.)

Next, the contest for chair of the Republican Party is shaping up to be a cranky exercise with lackluster candidates — most of whom will, if chosen, continue the Party's damaging obeisance to its narrow, right-wing, Southern base.

And the piece de resistance? Meghan McCain's recent statement to the blogosphere, reflecting the unity and comity (NOT!) that currently rule the Republican Party. "Sarah Palin is the only part of the [McCain] campaign that I won't comment on publicly," she sniffed.

Meow! We Democratic cats PURR.