Josh Marshall links to this NYT piece, saying that “Matthew Dowd confesses and repents.” Matthew Dowd helped bring Bush from Texas to the White House in 2000, and was the Bush’s chief campaign strategist in 2004.

Looking back, Mr. Dowd now says his faith in Mr. Bush was misplaced.

[ . . . ]

[H]is disappointment in Mr. Bush’s presidency is so great that he feels a sense of duty to go public given his role in helping Mr. Bush gain and keep power.

Well, that’s a start.  The article goes through a number of instances which gave Dowd pause about Bush – Katrina, Abu Ghraib, and the deployment of his own son to Iraq.  Apparently, it took these things to make clear to him what an almost majority (if not a majority) of the American public knew *before* 2004 – that George W. Bush is the biggest disaster that has ever hit American shores.  And Matthew Dowd contributed greatly not only to bringing that disaster here, but prolonging it.  It seems he’s beginning to recognize the consequences of that.  So what’s he going to do?

[H]e said [of the 2008 cycle], “I wouldn’t be surprised if I wasn’t walking around in Africa or South America doing something that was like mission work.”

He added, “I do feel a calling of trying to re-establish a level of gentleness in the world.”

He owes the world a hell of a lot more than that, but perhaps that’s a start.  You’ve done enormous damage to *this* country, Matthew Dowd.  You owe it much.  Between now and 2008, you can start to put a dent in that debt.  Do it.