V-e-r-r-r-r-rry interesting - "There is no sense of wanting to defend the Bush administration right now"

bush 41 and bush 43 may be obsessing over 43's "legacy" and may be even considering < gasp > collaborative dialogue and compromise in order to not have the ship completely capsize during the last two years of w's presidency, but - and it's a VERY BIG BUT - you can be sure, when it comes to questions of the power of the executive branch, cheney, addington, hadley, rove, and co. aren't going to budge... my feeling is that rumsfeld was merely the whole burnt offering that 43 was willing to sacrifice in order to keep rove and cheney around... it'll be interesting to see how the powerful bush family, led by 41, will move to neutralize rove and cheney if, in 41's view, that becomes necessary in order to preserve the family reputation...

"Senior Republican staff members in Congress have voiced the fear that Bush will now put his legacy over the party's immediate future, and take his cues from President Bill Clinton by "triangulating" when opportunity strikes -- that is, making deals with Democrats, over Republican objections, on immigration, health care or Social Security," Times reporter Jim Rutenberg writes.

"While the White House is trying to define their legacy, they'll try to triangulate us," said one senior Republican leadership aide who requested anonymity to speak candidly. "There is no sense of wanting to defend the Bush administration right now."

"Bush's rhetorical olive branch to Democrats has made conservatives nervous, prompting visions of a reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act that will increase spending or a new immigration system granting legal status, which many conservatives consider amnesty, to illegal immigrants," Rutenberg adds later in the piece. "One Democratic leadership aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bush was "most animated" during a meeting with the incoming Democratic House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, when the subject of immigration came up."

"Republicans close to the White House said Rove was already arguing that Bush should move to bolster his support with conservatives, who make up his base and will compose a greater proportion of the Republican congressional caucus after an election in which many moderate Republicans lost their seats, some to conservative Democrats," Rutenberg continues.

But there's a caveat, according to Rutenberg's Washington memo analysis: The White House will "dig in hard" when it comes to congressional efforts to probe Bush's national security programs. Vice President Dick Cheney has vowed to rebuild executive power, he notes, and is unlikely to cede ground over a single congressional election cycle.

that's pretty much what charlie savage was saying in the boston globe today, and i concur...

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