Isn't it amazing how Republicans react when they're called out for blindly voting in line with and pursuing the policies of the president of their own party?

Yesterday I shared with you our new ad and website that the Courage Campaign has launched to expose David Dreier (CA-26) as the Bush rubber stamp that he is. The story got picked up by the LA Times blog, which got a statement from a Dreier spokeswoman who called the ad a "smear." First of all, I love that they were compelled to respond to it but what's funny about that is that all the ad does is rattle off 4 of his worst votes and tie him to the sitting president of his own party. That's a smear? Really?

And I've written before how remarkably on-message Democrats have been this year with the whole "McCain = Bush's third term" meme and while McCain likes to laugh it off, it's clearly gotten under team McCain's skin as well. Check out how they reacted when a woman holding a "McCain = Bush" sign was hanging out outside of a McCain event in Denver recently.

In other words, in ousting her, McCain acted exactly like Bush. Classic, but again, the very fact that the sign "McCain = Bush" is perceived to be so offensive and potentially damaging that they have to escort an old woman off the premises speaks volumes. As ousted librarian Carol Kreck said

Why is that offensive? Why would Republicans who voted for Bush find it offensive that the sign says McCain = Bush?

Because Bush is toxic and they all know it.

The reason for this, of course, is not exactly hard to divine. The guy hits new lows in popularity seemingly every week and his stewardship of the economy and the war are, well, pathetic. But it's not every day that a Republican admits as much.

Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) cannot win the presidency if the election becomes a referendum on President Bush, a prominent Republican lawmaker, Rep. Tom Davis (Va.), declared Wednesday.

"If this is a referendum on Bush, then this race is over," Davis said on a conference call with reporters.

Davis acknowledged the political environment is tough for Republicans because Bush's numbers have been "in the trash can."

And by the way, it's not just Republicans being tied to Bush. Howie Klein brings us the latest attack on GA-12's Blue Dog John Barrow, whose progressive primary challenger, Regina Thomas, is using the Bush Rubber Stamp meme against him as well. Barrow's response:

"Apparently the only way to persuade some people that I'm not a rubber stamp for George Bush is to become a rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi."

How not to win a Democratic primary 101.