Just came across this brand new Democracy Corps memo (pdf) via Political Wire. As Taegan puts it, you can really sense the "almost giddy" feeling of Carville and Greenberg as they come to an essential conclusion about the 2006 midterm elections:

....the starting point is George Bush, who every day is nationalizing this election on our terms. Other polls show breathtaking drops on job approval, but even more so for specific areas, like the war on terrorism and Iraq. He was already low on the economy. In this survey, he hits historic lows on the country's direction and specifically, on changing Bush's direction. With his personal approval hitting new lows here, we very much want 2006 to be about Bush's stewardship for the country. For sure, as we saw this past week, the Republicans will seek to make this about something else.

A similar point was made today by dreaminonempty at Daily Kos in a great graphic and statistical analysis of just how much potential there is for Bush to become a serious anchor around the necks of GOP congressional candidates this year.

You can feel it in the air - Bush is slowly becoming perhaps irrecoverably toxic, even to Republicans. And Iraq isn't going away, the ports controversy isn't going away, even Katrina doesn't seem to be going away. A dozen or more Republicans in Congress are considering retirement. Carville and Greenberg argue that this the time is ripe for Democrats to present an alternative agenda:

The Democrats could watch these unfolding events with some awe, but we recommend that they be heard. Voters are dislodged and dissatisfied, and... extremely critical of what the Republicans have done and very open to a Democratic agenda....

The corruption in Iraq, drug company lobbyists and the prescription drug plan, stagnant incomes while CEOs' incomes soar, the port deal, and waived fees for the energy companies add up to quite an indictment. The power is positioning them in a frame that requires voters to support the Democrats in order to clean up the mess in Washington.

Do Connecticut Democrats want a candidate who will stand up for Democrats and Democratic principles across the board, or one who has spent 18 years undercutting his party and gladly accepting the support of the Sean Hannitys of the world?

Do Connecticut Democrats want a candidate who will help to hold Bush accountable, or one who consistently covers for his egregious incompetence?

The national environment is charged, and Democrats are poised to take advantage of it with the right candidates and the right message. Yet every time Joe Lieberman opens his mouth or goes in front of a camera, he hurts our party's chances for electoral success this fall.