The Base and the Bill

A reader writes:

It's just my opinion and some or many probably wouldn't admit it. But I think the unspoken about aspect of this thing is that many of us in the conservative, grass roots have at best, no trust in Bush's competence at all and at worst, are hoping the I-bill goes down in flames specifically to deal Bush an embarrassing and ignominious defeat.

There's a cumulative effect in action here. When you piss away your credibility on a variety of fronts over time (spending largess, no vetos, Harriet Miers, incompetence in Iraq, half-assed at best Soc Sec reform efforts, deep-sixing Tax Reform, etc.) over time, you get no benefit of the doubt whatsoever on something like this.

It's certainly a signifigant element in my stance (not to mention of course, the nonsensical, labyrinthian, unenforceable aspects of the package itself).