Bush is taking it on the chin from all sides, left AND right

nobody's cutting him any slack... and, god knows, he doesn't deserve any...

from scot lehigh in the boston globe...

Bush's conservatism is an exercise in ideological incoherence or contradiction.

harold meyerson in the american prospect...

Reality is mugging the Republican Party, and its elected officials are scrambling to save themselves.

from todd purdum in the nyt...

George W. Bush has been in the White House for 248 weeks, through a terrorist attack, two wars and a bruising re-election. But it seems safe to say that he has never had a worse political week than this one - and it is not over yet.

"I think all bets are off," said former Senator Warren B. Rudman, Republican of New Hampshire. "Who knows what's next?"

even before the miers announcement, richard viguerie was on bush's case...

"President Bush desperately needed to have an ideological fight with the left to redefine himself and reenergize his political base, which is in shock and dismay over his big-government policies."

stephen pizzo via alternet sees bush as turning on those closest to him who are in legal jeopardy...

Already we are seeing evidence that Bush may be getting ready to whack his own loyal aide, Karl "Turd Blossom" Rove. They have already brought in sub-capo Ed Gillespie to fill the hole. Eddy is already giving interviews, while Karl is nowhere to be seen. Bad sign.

david tuerck, a hard-line conservative, sees bush as having caved to "the grip that the left exerts over the nomination process" by allowing miers to withdraw despite "her obvious lack of qualifications..."

Whether this president, besieged as he is on many fronts, can salvage his presidency depends now how strongly he can resist this kind of pressure.

bush's formerly effective "change-the-subject" strategy is now being visibly and publicly outed...

Mr. Bush appeared eager to change the subject and calm conservatives only 24 hours before a special counsel might announce indictments.

and, whaddaya know, even right-wing gasbag hugh hewitt argues that, by forcing the withdrawal of miers, the right has completely negated the "up/down" vote argument...

Over the last two elections, the Republican Party regained control of the United States Senate by electing new senators in Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas. These victories were attributable in large measure to the central demand made by Republican candidates, and heard and embraced by voters, that President Bush's nominees deserved an up-or-down decision on the floor of the Senate. Now, with the withdrawal of Harriet Miers under an instant, fierce and sometimes false assault from conservative pundits and activists, it will be difficult for Republican candidates to continue to make this winning argument: that Democrats have deeply damaged the integrity of the advice and consent process.

personally, i think it's quite a stretch to say that those republican senators were elected largely on the basis of their support of an up or down vote... if that was being made a point in campaign rhetoric, it totally escaped me...

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