Such derision of Gonzales is viewed by Bush as the arrogance of Washington, and he seems determined not to appease that mind-set. For now at least, the president refuses to yield on grounds that Gonzales -- whatever his shortcomings -- broke no laws.
Bush's position, however, may be undermined by an unexpected development this week. It was announced that a little-known government agency -- the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, headed by Scott J. Bloch -- has launched an investigation into possible illegal White House political participation in the case of the U.S. attorneys firings. The irony here was not noted in early news accounts.
Bloch, a devout Catholic, has been under attack for three years in leading the independent investigative agency because of his interpretation of statutes covering workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. He also has been publicly accused of hiring too many Catholics. Clay Johnson, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget and another Texan brought to Washington by Bush, joined the attack on Bush-appointee Bloch. The case became a cause celebre on the right when Bloch was told by a prominent Catholic layman close to Bush that it would be better if he just resigned.
Now, the tables are turned, with Bloch investigating the White House.
The WaPo's David Ignatius confirms the madness:
If you want to hear despair in Washington these days, talk to Republicans. The Democrats are exulting in their newfound political power and are eager to profit from Bush's difficulties. But Republicans voice the bitterness and frustration of people chained to the hull of a sinking ship.
I spoke with a half-dozen prominent GOP operatives this past week, most of them high-level officials in the Reagan and Bush I and Bush II administrations, and I heard the same devastating critique: This White House is isolated and ineffective; the country has stopped listening to President Bush, just as it once tuned out the hapless Jimmy Carter; the president's misplaced sense of personal loyalty is hurting his party and the nation.
"This is the most incompetent White House I've seen since I came to Washington," said one GOP senator. "The White House legislative liaison team is incompetent, pitiful, embarrassing. My colleagues can't even tell you who the White House Senate liaison is. There is rank incompetence throughout the government. It's the weakest Cabinet I've seen." And remember, this is a Republican talking.
A prominent conservative complains: "With this White House, there is loyalty not to an idea, but to a person. When Republicans talked about someone in the Reagan administration being 'loyal,' they didn't mean to Ronald Reagan but to the conservative movement." Bush's stubborn defense of Gonzales offends these Republicans, who see the president defiantly clinging to an official who has lost public confidence, just as he did for too long with former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
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Excessive focus on personal loyalty was a fault of Bush '41. But the younger Bush has taken it to a ridiculous extreme. Whether or not it's fair to call GWB "another Jimmy Carter," politically that's exactly what he's become. As with Carter, there's now a large majority of the public that won't listen to him and won't respect him no matter what happens from here on out.
And as long as the Republican Party is saddled with this President and this fiasco of a war, it's going to lose.
Well on thing is for sure. Every administration from here on forward will clear the decks of all positions that 'serve at the request of the president'.
My initial response is- Jimmy Carter? Oh Nooooooo.... Ha Ha. Seriously, I do see the point (isolation, lack of influence, etc.) The political point is there. On many other areas, there is a marked contrast. Such as, I don't know, the economy, foreign policy, energy policy, military issues....
KIm- Bush has often made the point that he stopped drinking by embracing Christianity. Now that's a very good thing. Bush strongly believes he did it through his own sheer will, without help of anyone else(spare God)-no 12 stepping, no psychology, no therapy of any kind. Problem becomes that he really believes he can do anything he puts his mind to, and that he knows better than anyone else. But at his core he has never really dealt with the reasons why he was an alcoholic. It wasn't so apparent during 2000 or 2004(or may be the opponents were do awful, waht difference would it have made?), but some of his speeches now reek of "I'm the President! I KNOW better than any of you!" arrogance. On immigration, his spiel about "Iraqis yearning the breath free!", the Miers apppintment, his holding fast to hacks like Brown and Gonzalez. Bush doesn't deal with adversity, he just ignores it and keeps going. It's clear anyone bringing in a divergent or contrary opinion to Bush is either ignored or gone.
"Whether or not it's fair to call GWB "another Jimmy Carter," politically that's exactly what he's become." I think that comparing W with Jimmy Carter is grossly unfair to Carter. President Carter was not an effective politician but at least he had brain waves.
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