Democrats Are in 'Meltdown'

William Kristol can barely contain his glee with his declaration in the new Weekly Standard that the "Democrat party is in meltdown." They're afraid to vote on the Bush tax cuts before the midterms, he writes, and just look at all those senior staffers in the White House scrambling for the exits. "Meanwhile, much to the amazement of experienced laborers in conservative and Republican causes, the Republicans aren’t blowing it."

He calls the Pledge to America a good example. It may be a little "overhyped" and "pompous," he writes, "but it actually does consist of a sensible series of first steps for a GOP Congress." And where the 1994 Contract With America was somewhat "contrived and almost desperate," the new pledge "is a more dignified way for the people’s representatives to present themselves to their fellow citizens." In short, November is shaping up to be a very bad month for "big government liberalism."