The Oval Office Bunker

[cal04]

The disconnect that is destroying what's left of the Bush presidency was clear in an image from the Oval Office this week. President Bush was sitting warily in his chair, pursing his lips as if he had just eaten a bad radish, as a reporter asked about the performance of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in recent congressional testimony concerning the firing of U.S. attorneys.

Prominent Republicans had criticized Gonzales's testimony as evasive and inadequate. But Bush responded blandly that his attorney general had given "a very candid assessment and answered every question he could possibly answer . . . in a way that increased my confidence in his ability to do the job."

Now, say what you like about Gonzales, but only a visitor from another planet would describe as "very candid" the responses of a man who, by one count, repeated 64 times during his testimony the phrase "I don't know" and similar variants. It was as if Bush didn't know or care that everyone in Washington had watched Gonzales duck questions before a Senate committee a few days earlier.

(snip)
“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.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/24/AR2007042401500.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns

[Olney Blue]

1. A wonderful piece by David Ignatius.

It has a wonderful description of Patraeus silently sitting there listening to the War Chimp, and Ignatius wondering what the General is REALLY thinking!

[marmar]

2. Nut bunker.....

:crazy: K&R :kick:

[bemildred]

3. I find his slam on Carter very annoying.

The comparison with Nixon is far more compelling.