"It doesn't surprise me at all that with the weight of the second term Republicans are moving serious money."
Republicans moved quickly to respond to what was becoming a significant embarrassment.
Divorce came in the 1960's as the city's voters drifted left and Republicans moved sharply right.
But why did the Republicans move to the right?
On the Democratic side, most of the tactics add up to the same thing: make the Republicans move first.
"Whatever the President comes up with," he said, "the Republicans will move to the right."
If the Republicans were not moving, he said, "there is nothing to talk about."
With a slender majority, divided Republicans can't easily move in any direction.
Republicans were moving quickly to respond to the new Democratic stance.
Republicans are also moving aggressively to fire up Bush supporters.