End of a Rubber Stamp Era?

For the past several years, Washington has been a city of rubber stamps. When President Bush asked for something, the Republican-controlled Congress by and large gave it to him. Bush, in turn, hasn't vetoed a single bill. With a very few exceptions, when things went astray in the executive branch, the legislative branch didn't get all exercised about it.

But it's possible the era of rubber stamps is coming to an end.

Bush's proposed massive spending spree in the Gulf Coast is ripping apart his ruling party -- even as his stumbling response to a national disaster, his increasingly unpopular war and high gas prices are sending his poll numbers plummeting and emboldening the opposition party.

Shailagh Murray and Jim VandeHei write in The Washington Post: "Congressional Republicans from across the ideological spectrum yesterday rejected the White House's open-wallet approach to rebuilding the Gulf Coast, a sign that the lockstep GOP discipline that George W. Bush has enjoyed for most of his presidency is eroding on Capitol Hill. . . .

"The pushback on Katrina aid . . . represents the loudest and most widespread dissent Bush has faced from his own party since it took full control of Congress in 2002. As polls show the president's approval numbers falling, there is growing concern among lawmakers that GOP margins in Congress could shrink next year, and even rank-and-file Republicans are complaining that Bush is shirking the difficult budget decisions that must accompany the rebuilding bonanza. . . .

"The resistance suggests that Bush's second term could turn out far rockier and more contentious than his first. One indicator many Republicans are watching to gauge whether Bush is becoming a liability for the party is in Pennsylvania, where Rick Santorum, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, is trailing state treasurer Bob Casey Jr. by double digits."

Public mockery from your allies is always a bad sign. But Murray and VandeHei describe this scene from yesterday:

"Trying to allay mounting concerns, White House budget director Joshua B. Bolten met with Republican senators for an hour after their regular Tuesday lunch. Senators emerged to say they were annoyed by the lack of concrete ideas for paying the Hurricane Katrina bill.

" 'Very entertaining,' Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said sarcastically as he left the session. 'I haven't heard any specifics from the administration.' "

Carl Hulse writes in the New York Times: "Conservative House Republicans plan to recommend on Wednesday more than $500 billion in savings over 10 years to compensate for the costs of Hurricane Katrina as lawmakers continue to struggle to develop a consensus on the fiscal approach to the disaster."

Several of their proposals are sure to inflame the White House. Among them: Delaying the start of the new Medicare prescription drug coverage and canceling the Moon-Mars initiative that NASA announced on Monday.

And Hulse writes that in spite of Bush's apparent reluctance to do so, "Senators said they continued to press the White House to name a prominent individual to oversee the relief effort, creating a central contact point for the flow of money, as well as many legislative proposals."