Steve Benen, MSNBC
It's probably a lazy habit, which I admit to falling into at times, but it's common to try to find historical parallels for a presidential election. If you're a Democrat, you're hoping 2012 is like 1996 or 1984 -- an incumbent president bounces back after a rough midterm cycle to easily win a second term. If you're a Republican, you're looking at 1992 or 1980 -- an incumbent president, facing widespread public discontent, gets replaced after one term.But there's a strong case to be made that 2012 looks quite a bit like 2004 -- an incumbent president with a...