There is a Political Science professor at UVA, that most Television stations and newspapers call upon during local and national elections to try to figure out what is going on with them.  He has always seemed to be insightful and pretty much even handed in his analysis.  In otherwords, he takes his profession as a higher calling than his personal politics.  Well, he just wrote a piece for the Opinion Journal, and I think he is dead on! 

"Do you know how many Republican Senators and Representatives have said privately that it [the Medicare drug benefit] is the worst, most regrettable vote of their careers? The drug benefit will add trillions to the national debt over time; because of its complexity, it is overwhelmingly disliked by the very seniors it is designed to help; and like most government programs, it is guaranteed to become massively more unwieldy and costly in the future, as new provisions and baubles are added on. Eliminate it, or at the very least, cut it way back by limiting it to the poor. Your gigantic, additional Medicare entitlement underlines the Bush Administration's reckless overspending. The ocean of red ink you have created will be an enormous black, er, red mark on your legacy in the history books. Why not do something about it while you still can? All at once, you can please your party, make better policy, and change your image by confessing a big goof. People will be amazed at your display of humility. Sometimes, the best politics is counterintuitive." -- University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato's "Urgent Memo to the President"

I doubt it will do any good, but I am glad he at least made the attempt!