No, they aren't. Even his most ardent supporters have said he blew it & it will cost him.

Now, does that mean they have abandoned Bush? No. They never will. Among all Republican voters, he still has 87% support in the popularity polls. But those polls don't measure the deeper chasm that has opened up beneath him this week.

There are three bottom lines here the administration won't be able to spin their way out of: 1) a whole lot of Louisiana's National Guard were in Iraq when this disaster occurred; 2) he was on vacation and giving speeches on Iraq, while New Orleans drowned and Mississippi was wiped out (and Barbara Bush's comments won't help that perception), and; 3) this was the first national test of our nation's post-9/11 emergency and disaster preparedness systems.

Republican ideologues wouldn't even be swayed by Dubya ax-murdering Laura and White House hired help staff. They will support Bush no matter what. Just like the Democrats, who now give Bush a post-Katrina 13% approval rating, will not change their views about him.

Question is, how will these federal issues trickle down to the state and local elections of 2006?