Perhaps it’s time to back away from the ledge. There’s at least one sign that a Clinton Restoration isn’t inevitable. Pollster Scott Rasmussen’s latest pits Hillary Clinton in head-to-head match-ups with some of her likely GOP opponents. There’s good news all around. Giuliani defeats Hillary by two points. Thompson also shows surprising strength, trailing the Democrats’ presumptive nominee by a mere two points. The pollster seems particularly dumfounded by Thompson’s surge. A month ago, Thompson lagged a full ten points behind Clinton. What accounts for this uptick in support? After all, Rasmussen says, Thompson’s initial debate performance was “passable” and his second debate “stronger” than the first but still “uneven.” That’s where you find the real good news. Rasmussen sees Thompson’s improvement in particular as a sign of growing Republican strength in general – or at least diminishing Republican weakness. Regardless, for the last month anyway, things have been trending in the GOP’s direction. Perhaps the GOP’s improving position has something to do with the improving situation in Iraq and an inept Democratic congress. If the situation in Iraq continues to improve and the Democratic Congress continues to be hapless, 2008 may be a much better year for the GOP than many of us have feared.
