From Political Prognostications:

When I last rode off into the cyber-sunset, President Bush had just been sworn in for a second term. Republicans had secured solid control of both houses of Congress, and the new GOP majority was prepared to enact conservative governance upon the nation at last. Everything was going according to plan.

How things change in only 16 months.

Actually, things can change a lot quicker than that. On Sept. 10, 2001, Instapundit was blogging about the federal government's investigation into reporters' methods.

This week, he's much more likely to be blogging about...the federal government's investigation into reporters' methods!

Surely, though, with Katrina, Iraq, Iran, gas prices and Fitzmas, Republicans are in a much, much worse position now than they were two years ago, right?

Well: Rasmussen Reports, May 25, 2004: Bush 44 percent.

Rasmussen Reports, May 23, 2006: Bush: 39 percent.

Lower numbers? Yes. But barely within the margin of error. And, remember, Tony Snow wasn't even working for Bush in 2004.