Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

I take great comfort in knowing that the guys who are going to "fix" the Republican party include Adam "Howdy Doody-Looking Nimrod" Putnam and Eric "Solutions Factory" Cantor, two lock-step Conservatives who will bring more of the same.

Meanwhile John McCain has been put in the position of running away from George Bush...and his own party:

Advisers to Mr. McCain said they thought the problems Congressional Republicans were having would not translate into significant problems for Mr. McCain. But they said it steeled their resolve to run a campaign that distinguished Mr. McCain from both Mr. Bush and a Congress where he has served, in the House and the Senate, since January 1983. They said Mr. McCain would seek — sometimes explicitly, sometimes not — to distance himself by speaking critically of what he has described as excessive spending in Washington, as well on issues like the environment.

“There’s no question that the results in these special elections portend ominously for House Republicans, but they will have little impact on the presidential election campaign,” said Steve Schmidt, a senior adviser to Mr. McCain.

Because John McCain is not a Republican; he's a Maverick, a loner, Dottie. A rebel.