Republicans Would Relish an Alito Fight--but Next Year
The Senate's decision on Thursday to delay confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito didn't surprise the White House--some top aides were even pushing for it. While the administration's Alito team wanted a vote by Christmas, political advisers to the president said pushing back the debate to January could benefit the White House and the GOP. "The fight over how conservative he is is a fight we want to have," said a Bush aide. With the president's polls at a record low, some GOP strategists believe that a spirited debate over Alito's conservative credentials and past decisions on hot-button issues like abortion will sharply point up party differences--and help in the 2006 elections. However, dragging out the confirmation vote could help Democrats, who would like to keep moderate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the bench as long as possible--like until the end of oral arguments in April.

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Tricks are No Treat for the White House
Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York--and what Republicans call Democratic "stunts" --are getting under the skin of President Bush's loyalists. With Schumer emerging as a relentless critic of the administration on issues ranging from the Iraq war to White House ethics, White House aides have begun portraying him as hopelessly partisan. "He shows a lack of seriousness" on the issues, says a White House insider. Meanwhile, the White House is on the warpath against increasingly aggressive Democratic tactics. The line? These critics are using "stunts" --such as forcing a closed session of the Senate this week to prompt a more aggressive probe of faulty intelligence in advance of the Iraq war--to avoid discussing issues like the economy and energy, which concern most Americans.

Big Oil, Big Profits, Big Opportunity?
Some House and Senate leaders say they are surprised that President Bush hasn't jumped on Big Oil for its big profits. "That would rally more people around him," said a top House GOP aide. Another said that because Bush is viewed as sympathetic to oil firms, speaking out against profits as the nation heads into winter would show that he is compassionate and means business. House Republican leaders--particularly Speaker Dennis Hastert--last week criticized oil profiteering, and aides said there is more to come. "We are not finished playing our cards on oil," said one. But an administration official says that it is unclear what political pressure Washington can bring on oil, gas, and fuel firms to cut prices amid high demand.

Not Exactly a Texas-style Prince
Despite all the backslapping at the White House last week, Britain's Prince Charles and President Bush still have their differences. Charles has consistently warned about the dangers of global warming, calling the latest climate data "terrifying"; more broadly, Charles has for years criticized excessive consumerism. In a speech at the National Building Museum in Washington, the prince lambasted the "deliberate destruction of man's intimate relationship with nature," arguing that "we've lost the balance of things." A backer of Bush-style, go-go capitalism? One would think not.