2010: Referendum on Bush?

It is understandable that Democrats, running into the headwind of a still-sluggish economy, would want to make the 2010 mid-term elections about the Bush administration's record of deficits fueled by tax cuts and unfunded wars and and a banking crisis enabled by deregulation. Amazingly, two prominent Republicans agree, as Brian Buetler reports for Talking Points Memo.

"We need to go back to the exact same agenda that is empowering the free enterprise system rather than diminishing it," said NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions on "Meet the Press" Sunday morning.

As if to give Sessions, his House counterpart, some back-up, NRSC Chairman John Cornyn took to C-SPAN this weekend to suggest the Bush agenda deserves a second look.

"Look, I think President Bush's stock has gone up since he left office...I think a lot of people are looking back with a little more--with more fondness on President Bush's administration, and I think history will treat him well."

As expected, the Democrats wasted no time jumping all over this with DCCC spokeman Ryan Rudominer saying "We could not have made the case any clearer than Pete Sessions did that Republicans only want to go back to the failed policies of President Bush."

UPDATE: Conservative blogger Bruce Bartlett chimes in on Capital Gains and Games.

Over the weekend Republicans unveiled their brilliant new political strategy: the George W. Bush years were the good old days and we should go back to them. A stupider strategy is hard to imagine. The Bush years were an unmitigated disaster.

UPDATE #2: Paul Krugman details the effort by figures such as Karl Rove to rehabilitate Bush's image (and whitewash his administration's record) to pave the way for a return to his failed policies.

--Ballard Burgher