I don’t claim to be as good at interpreting the apocalyptic signs of Revelations as the Christian right or the entertainment executives at NBC, but there are portents that The Lord is getting tired of the people who keep using his name in vain. I’ll report, you decide:

I. Tom DeLay’s sleazy lobbyist pal and tourism operator, Jack Abramoff, is making plea-bargain-sounding remarks that DeLay knew about everything.

II. Dick Cheney’s choice for UN ambassador, John Bolton, whose temper is only matched by his moustache, has been left hanging in the wind by the conscience of Republican George Voinovich, an event as miraculous as the parting of the Red Sea.

III. Bill Frist, Harvard MD turned born-again creationist, lost control of his Republican caucus during the Bolton hearing and seems unlikely to regain it for the filibuster nuclear option, making his born-again presidential campaign conversion seem as foolish as it is transparent.

IV. George Bush’s umpteenth push for Social Security privatization was undermined by the worst stock market drop since 9/11. Then, his Earth Day speech was scuttled by a freak hailstorm.

Is this the end of days for the Republican majority? I leave that to a higher power to decide. But they should be careful what they pray for.