Fred Barnes on GOP prospects in 2008

An interesting essay in Thursday’s WSJ…Barnes is not optimistic about the Republican prospects, but sees a variety of contexts that make GOP success for likely, including “success” in Iraq (of course).

My favorite part: Barnes taking the GOP to task. “The recipe for Republicans is to stop acting like, well, Republicans--that is, Republicans of recent vintage.” In particular, he points to earmarks and “their obsession with illegal immigration”.

The only odd thing I saw: he seems to think re-taking the majority in Congress is as likely as winning the Presidency. Since the latter is one individual vs. another and the inherent advantage that Republicans have in executive-style policy issues, it seems like their odds for the Presidency would be significantly higher.