By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 10, 2005; Page A01
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Grass-roots Democrats feed the appetite to battle Bush, giving Democratic leaders in Washington more incentive to challenge the president. "I've been struck how funders and groups like MoveOn are very engaged and are not letting up at all," said Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg.
Four years ago, he said, Democrats pulled back, but this time there is pressure from the grass roots to continue the fight. "Democrats took a licking
, but see themselves back in the battle," Greenberg said. "I don't think outside forces will allow Democrats to disengage."
For all their talk of challenging Bush, Senate Democrats are unlikely to mount serious opposition to the president's nominee for attorney general, White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales, in spite of his role in shaping legal policies on torture and interrogation methods. Gonzales is expected to win confirmation without difficulty, both sides predict, and some Democrats said they believe it is a mistake to let him sail through so easily.
Nor are Democrats well organized yet to challenge Bush effectively. House Democrats represent an ineffective force in a body tightly controlled by the GOP majority. Senate Democrats are adjusting to new leadership, with the office of Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) likely to become the focal point for coordinating Democratic strategy. The Democratic National Committee must pick a new leader to replace outgoing chairman Terrence R. McAuliffe before the national party can provide real help.
Already there is grumbling among strategists that the party is falling behind the White House and congressional Republicans in developing a strategy. In the end, they acknowledge, Democrats may have more desire than capacity to defeat Bush's agenda, but as Bush's second term begins, the battle lines in Washington are being clearly drawn.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61686-2005Jan9.html
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