There is a large group of people that Richard Nixons speechwriters aptly dubbed, The Silent Majority.

They believe, as I do, that you should support your President and your country, even if you think theyre headed in the wrong direction.

They believe, as I do, that you never, ever blame your military. Theyre brave people, who are sacrificing all, for us.

If you have a gripe, you blame their civilian bosses, who in too many cases, neither served nor protested. They took that safe tack of partly serving, in what was then, a backwater, but is no longer; The Guard.

Also, you may need your military for a completely righteous cause, and where will they be, if they have been humiliated in the recent past?

W has been the beneficiary of the post 9-11 effect. This is the tendency of most of us to think, Government knows more than we do, especially about the machinations of terrorists, so lets not question our leaders at a time when we need to appear unified, at least to the enemy.

But Ws allowance is running out, and like too many gas tanks these days, hes running on empty.

What will be the flash point that will push that Silent Majority into the streets, with placards and banners held high? Will it take $4 or $5 a gallon gas to do the trick?

Big SUV sales tanked when gas surged above $3. Credit ratings at Ford and GM, purveyors of those road boats, plummeted.

At $4 or $5 per gallon, recession may follow, people will lose jobs, and theyll be angry.

Congress idea of offering a piddling $100 rebate to gas buyers will be utterly laughable.

Lets see how W responds, as he becomes the least popular leader to leave the White House since Lyndon Johnson.