Entries for April 2006

For those of you who know little about President Bush, allow me the opportunity to explain one thing: The more people clamor for change, the less likely he is to do it. In fact, if White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card hadn't gone in to the president and offered his own resignation–more than once–he would still probably be at the White House. So, for those generals who want to see Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld go, here's a piece of advice: Be quiet.

Politically speaking, the guy can't get no respect. Even though President Bush is on a very acceptable–even popular–side of the immigration issue (i.e., supporting a guest-worker program), he doesn't get any credit for it: According to a CBS News poll released yesterday, 53 percent of Americans disapprove of the president's handling of immigration. So, not only does the president not get any credit, but he is also suffering within the ranks of his own party. The same CBS poll shows that only 42 percent of Republicans approve of how the president is handling immigration, and as many as 41 percent disapprove.

At the very least, it's an embarrassment for an administration that prides itself on secrecy: Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, Scooter Libby, says that the president himself authorized leaking a classified document to make the case that Iraq had a nuclear weapons program. Of course, the president is legally entitled to do this: Anytime the commander in chief wants to release something, it is automatically declassified.

In a way, it wasn't much of a surprise. After former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay won his three-way primary handily last month, his friends saw it as vindication. And, in a way, it was–he was a winner among Republicans. But once that faded–and one of his former top aides pleaded guilty to conspiracy last week–reality set in: He could lose his race. And if there is an indictment in his future because of the Jack Abramoff scandal, he would, in all probability, have to give up his race anyway.