"IT'S A GOOD LIFE," STILL -- WHY?

A number of people have said that life in the Bush years is reminiscent of the old sci-fi story and Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life," about an eight-year-old who's no more mature than his age would suggest but who has powers so great that he terrorizes an entire town into deferring to his will.

I'm looking at a story in today's Washington Post -- "GOP Moderates Weigh Loyalty To Bush vs. Political Realities" ("moderate Republicans in Congress are facing a tough choice: Stand by President Bush or run for their political lives") -- and now at the news that Senator John Warner is offering (with John McCain) a no-obligation, toothless alternative to James Webb's bill requiring active-duty troops to have leaves as long as their previous tours of duty. And I'm thinking about the fact that this timid, terrified deference to Bush on the part of congressional Republicans is happening despite the fact that Bush just reached a new low (29% approval) in yet another poll.

So I feel I'm watching a sequel to "It's a Good Life." In the sequel, the eight-year-old loses his powers -- and everyone in the town continues to defer to him, even though they know he's now just an ordinary kid.

Maybe it wouldn't seem bizarre to Rod Serling, but it seems bizarre to me.