Bush and Gonzales

An op/ed piece in today's Washington Post find Bush's handling symptomatic of the administration. After reading the following quote, I wondered how this person missed the first six years of George W. Bush playing leader of the free world:

"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.

What kind of shape would be in if the Republicans still controlled Congress? Probably gnashing our teeth at the Congressional Republicans complicity in the incompetence.

The New York Times reviews Bush's performance on the PBS' Charlie Rose show:

The administration is under attack by Democrats and some Republicans, and Mr. Bush is increasingly described by his critics as isolated and out of touch. To counter that image, Mr. Bush turned to one of his least favorite pastimes: explaining himself to a reporter in front of a camera. Mr. Bush was fairly candid about why he decided to spend almost an hour defending his policies on public television, a venue that many conservatives mistrust as too liberal.

“I do think it’s important for me to explain to your listeners one more time, if I might, why I made the decision I made,” Mr. Bush said. “I believe that if Iraq were to fall apart, and there were to be a vacuum, into that vacuum would come extremist elements.” He continued from there, explaining his concerns about a regional conflagration with less restraint and more dependent clauses than usual.

It was Mr. Bush’s first in-depth interview since a round of television appearances he made after announcing in January that he would send more troops to Iraq. As the two men sat face to face in a room in the Waldorf-Astoria, Mr. Rose raised the issue of military buildup almost casually, saying, “How is what’s sometimes called ‘the surge’ going?”

Mr. Bush’s answer was mixed. “The good news is that sectarian death is down in Baghdad,” he replied. “The bad news is that spectacular car bombs still go off, in a way that tends to shake the confidence of the Iraqi people that their government can protect them.”

Mr. Rose asked his guest about Senator John McCain’s admission that he had no “Plan B” if the administration’s current strategy failed. Mr. Bush replied, somewhat grimly, “The Plan B is to make Plan A work.” But he went on to assure Mr. Rose that his administration constantly reassessed its plans and decision-making.

I have begun to think describing Bush as out of touch is a kindness he does not deserve. I think he does not care about public opinion - after all, he is president and you are not (with apologies to Chevy Chase). While I may overestimate him, I think he is treating government just as he wants. Why I have no idea for he has no political heirs. All we can hope for during the remainder of his term is controlling his damage.