Republicans Anonymous

Interesting trend in the news today - the more public opinion turns against Bush's Charles Keating Memorial Social Security Destruction Reformation Plan, the more Republicans seem to be changing the subject:

Poll: Bush slips on Social Security
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - President Bush has lost ground in the public relations battle over Social Security since he kicked off a concentrated campaign two months ago to convince Americans the national retirement program needs an immediate overhaul, according to a recent poll.

A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Friday to Sunday said 38 percent of Americans feel major changes must be made in Social Security within the next two years. In January, that number was 49 percent.
(Source: CNN via Atrios )

Of course, leading Republicans aren't admitting they came off second-best to the "third rail of American Politics" and are trying to "spin" the drop in support as success rather than failure:

DeLay, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and numerous other GOP lawmakers said Bush's public campaigning has begun to show results. ``People have bought into the fact that we have a problem'' with Social Security's future financing, said Sen. Johnny Isakson, of Georgia.
...
...Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid offered his own blunt assessment of the Bush's signature issue. "I don't think the Republicans are very happy about the position the president is putting them in" he said.

"In two months, the president has created a firestorm against" his own plan, taunted Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
(Source: New York Times Final Soc. Sec. Action May Not Happen Yet
(Emphasis added.)

So, to change the subject, Republicans going back to basics. Some are pushing the indecency button:

Key Republicans Back Cable Indecency Rules
(New York Times / A.P.)
``It's not fair to subject over-the-air broadcasters to one set of rules and subject cable and satellite to no rules,'' Barton told reporters after a separate appearance before the broadcasters group.

Additionally, of course, we're now seeing the long-expected fall-back distraction:

U.S. Cites New Bin Laden Plans
Intelligence Source Says Al Qaeda Chief Was in Contact With Zarqawi

By Lara Jakes Jordan and Katherine Shrader
Associated Press
Tuesday, March 1, 2005; 1:55 AM

Osama bin Laden is enlisting his top operative in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, to plan potential attacks on the United States, U.S. intelligence indicates.

Al-Zarqawi, who rivals bin Laden as the nation's public enemy No. 1, has been involved in attacks in the Middle East but has not been known before to have set his sights on the United States.