Sleaze and scandal did Republicans as much damage as the war in Iraq

THE Republican Party took a beating in the mid-term American elections this week, even though the economy was possibly never better.

The Republicans were beaten comprehensively, but not actually hammered, seeing that they lost control of the Senate by a proverbial whisker, especially in the states of Montana and Virginia. If they had carried either, they would have retained control of the Senate.

In such close races it is absurd to attribute the defeat to any single issue because any number of factors may have made the difference between winning and losing. The war in Iraq has become distinctly unpopular and the ratings of George Bush’s White House performance have grown particularly negative. As a result, most of the party’s more serious candidates did not wish to be seen with him.