"As the Bush presidency dissolves under the rain of tragic bulletins from the Iraq debacle..."

"... too many Democrats seem to believe that their party will simply sail into the White House in 2008. But the conservative grass roots are in open rebellion against the waffling Washington Republican establishment, most recently because of its bungling of the incendiary immigration issue. Campaigning against the rapidly deflating Bush zeppelin is a dead end." So says Camille Paglia.

Reading that instantly planted a conspiracy theory in my head: the Republicans had a plan all along to use the immigration issue as a scheme to distract attention from the war, stir up feelings that make ordinary Americans afraid of the Democrats, and win the 2008 election. Not saying Paglia mean to plant that thought. Not saying I believe it. Just saying...