GOP Getting Nervous about 2006

You think the White House is feeling the political jitters? The Washington Post reports that the GOP is having trouble recruiting candidates for next year's congressional elections:

With an unpopular war in Iraq, ethical controversies shadowing top Republicans in the House and Senate, and President Bush suffering the lowest approval ratings of his presidency, the waters look less inviting to politicians deciding whether to plunge into an election bid. Additionally, some Capitol Hill operatives complain that preoccupied senior White House officials have been less engaged in candidate recruitment than they were for the 2002 and 2004 elections. These sources would speak only on background because of the sensitivity of partisan strategies.

The current uprising among the party's right wing is likely to add fuel to the fire in the next two elections. In Florida, where right wing darling Katherine Harris is trailing first-term Senator Bill Nelson some GOP party leaders had hoped to recruit a less polarizing figure, but Harris and her supporters feel it's her turn, given her pivotal role in the 2000 recount mess. It is easy to imagine right wing Republicans, disappointed by the Miers nomination, pushing for the most conservative candidates and feeling left behind when they don't get their way.
Looking ahead to 2008, I would expect that the right wing will push hard for an acceptable candidate. Speaking in code will not work the way it has for Bush. This will make it evn tougher for someone like mainstream favorite John McCain, who is considering a run. Among conservative leaders like uber-fundraiser Richard Viquerie, the motto will be "anyone but McCain."