So for the past couple of days, I’ve been thinking about the range of possibilities for Republicans who are dissatisfied with President Bush by trying to put myself in their shoes. It’s obvious to me that President Bush has done a horrible job, and I think that many Republicans have their doubts about him as well. I could go into the reasons why, but you already know what they are. I’ve been trying to think about what I would do in 2008 if John Kerry is elected this year, and he does a terrible job (by my standards) for the next four years.

The odds are very low that I’d vote for a Republican for President, especially if the nominee were an orthodox Republican. No matter how bad a job a Democrat does, I’d be very unlikely to vote to hand the country over to someone who I had fundamental philosophical disagreements with. And, given that I would be unwilling to vote for a Republican, cognitive dissonance would almost certainly compel me to rationalize Kerry’s faults because I’d be voting for him anyway and it’s hard to make yourself vote for someone you detest.

So, I have to say that I can understand where many Republicans are on Bush, because I’d probably be in the same place if the President were an incompetent Democrat.