Throw in an unexpected 3rd Party Challenge and 2004 can get REAL dicey for Bush. For the reasons you outlined, Bush had better think long and hard about his dad's experience and the factors that led to his defeat.
The only way the 'Rats can win the presidency is with the help of a third party candidate, like Perot. Calling John McCain . . . .
I would like to see you and other doubting Conservatives think long and hard too. 41 did 3 things that royally screwed the pooch.
1) He reneged on his "read my lips" pledge for no new taxes. He stupidly made a deal with the Devil's Earthly representatives, the RATS, to allow them to raise taxes and cut spending.
2) 41 then allowed the RATS to reneg on their part of the deal, by raising spending, and causing the economy to stumble in 1990-1991.
3) By his own admission, 41 didn't spend a lot of time campainging, and he allowed XXX42 to lie, distort, and go completely unchallenged with the B.S. about the "worst economy in the last 50 years".
I was so pissed at 41, that I voted for Buchanon in the primary, and although I punched the chad for 41, I was actually only voting against the The Devil's Sleazebag.