In the car with my dad today we were talking about the Shrub. I quoted that too-true parody headline from the Onion "Our Long National Nightmare of Peace and Prosperity Is Finally Over" (
http://www.theonion.com/onion3701/bush_nightmare.html ) and he laughed. Said he wanted to repeat it to the group of guys he has coffee with.
I knew my Dad had been disillusioned with the Republicans for a few years, but it surprised me that he said several of his coffee buddies were complaining a lot about Bush too. "Especially Joe" (not his real name). Now this Joe guy actually forwarded me one of those "Why Hollywood Liberals Should Shut the Hell Up" e-mails back in March 2003 when the war was starting. (He had my address because I had corresponded with him briefly about an insurance issue.) I wrote him back telling him never to forward that kind of message to me again; he got very defensive and "patriotic"; later we both cooled down and apologized. Now this guy is the loudest anti-Bush complainer of the group.
These are middle-aged white guys in Eastern Montana, folks. I'm not saying they'll be registered Democrats anytime soon, but maybe they won't be coming out in droves for Bush in 2004.
Gotta go look up some more anti-Bush slogans for Dad now. :)