One more thought about the right-wing reaction to the Miers pick:

The mistake Bush made here was thinking that he's the president of the United States. That's not what the base thinks. The base didn't vote for Bush -- the base voted for the conservative movement. To the base, Bush is president only insofar as he embodies the conservative movement.

Mere months ago, some in the base were saying they loved Bush even more than they loved Reagan; now, however, he's violated the movement's principles, and he may never be forgiven for it.

What's happening to Bush is not exactly analogous to falling out of favor with the Party during the Soviet era, but any resemblance you may detect is real.