All the Texans gone but one? No big deal. Only 19% of George's term left.

so, rove is the only texan left...? no biggie, at least not if you swallow the la times spin...

[Dan Bartlett's] departure leaves only political advisor Karl Rove among the Texans who arrived in Washington with Bush and worked closely with him in the White House West Wing.

[...]

There has been a steady turnover within the White House in recent months, and Bartlett predicted that others would make similar moves "over the course of the summer."

The pattern is typical for two-term administrations in modern times. Many who have invested years working for a president look to move into more lucrative, and less time-consuming, private-sector jobs before their cachet as Washington insiders evaporates.

typical pattern, eh...? hmmmm... lemme see... < counts on fingers > oops... not enough fingers...

Bartlett's decision to leave underscores the growing challenge the president will face in the last 1 1/2 years of his administration.

< counts on toes, too > hmmmmm... not enough toes either... ok, there's 12 months in a year, so that must mean that a half a year has 6 months... 12 + 6 = 18... wow...! 18 months to go... that's a pretty long time... 8 years in two terms x 12 months in a year = 96 months... 18 divided by 96 = DAMN...! that's almost 19% of george's presidency left and THEY'RE ALL BAILING... well, i suppose they're right, it's just typical... or... could it be that george has become radioactive and everybody's getting out before the house comes down around their ears...?

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Fond memories of Dan Bartlett

wow...! i just found out dan bartlett's leaving...! four and a half hours on the road this morning and look what i miss...! now, all we're left with is fond memories...



Stan and Ollie
Tony and Dan
preparing to land
in Baghdad

Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into.

Stan Laurel and
Oliver Hardy

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Oopsies, Gonzo...! You can bet there's gonna be a phone call from George right quick...!

well, this oughta be interesting...

gonzo said...

Weeks after the White House ruled out the involvement of President George W. Bush in any discussions on the firing of 8 US Attorneys, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said on Thursday morning that the President had discussed the matter with advisers in an October 2006 meeting.

"I've now been made aware of the fact that there was a conversation with the President that basically mentioned the same thing in October of 2006," the Attorney General said while answering a question from Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA).

[...]

"Did the White House ask you to seek the removal of any US Attorney?" the Virginia Democrat asked.

"I have recollection of Mr. Rove raising concerns about prosecutors and voter fraud cases in three districts," Gonzales answered.

but dana said...

"I have said on the record for several weeks now that there is no indication that the President knew about any of the ongoing discussions over the two years, nor did he see a list or a plan before it was carried out," said White House Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino on March 27, 2006.

but tony said...

A reporter ... clarified, "Just to follow, did you say, again for the record, that the President has no recollection of ever being asked about any of this?"

Snow answered, "Yes, the removal – yes, that is correct."

but dan said...

"[T]he President said, I've been hearing about this election fraud matters from members of Congress, want to make sure you're on top of that, as well," Bartlett told reporters.

But he insisted that the firing of US Attorneys was not discussed.

"There was no directive given, as far as telling him to fire anybody or anything like that. That would be under the prerogative of the Justice Department to take a look at those issues, as they obviously were doing," he said.

time to go get more popcorn...

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Falling out of love with George Bush

a very public, high-level, splashy, big-time defection... there are others out there, you KNOW there are... it's time for them to come forward...

matthew dowd, former campaign strategist for bush...

Mr. Dowd became the first member of Mr. Bush’s inner circle to break so publicly with him.

He said his decision to step forward had not come easily. But, he said, his disappointment in Mr. Bush’s presidency is so great that he feels a sense of duty to go public given his role in helping Mr. Bush gain and keep power.

[...]

“I’m a big believer that in part what we’re called to do — to me, by God; other people call it karma — is to restore balance when things didn’t turn out the way they should have,” Mr. Dowd said. “Just being quiet is not an option when I was so publicly advocating an election.”

[...]

Mr. Dowd, 45, said he hoped in part that by coming forward he would be able to get a message through to a presidential inner sanctum that he views as increasingly isolated. But, he said, he holds out no great hope. He acknowledges that he has not had a conversation with the president.

naturally, somebody higher up the chain like dan bartlett would have to step forward to refute what dowd is saying... just as naturally, karl rove, who probably worked more closely with dowd than anybody else over the course of many years, besides being his boss, doesn't have anything to say...

Dan Bartlett, the White House counselor, said Mr. Dowd’s criticism is reflective of the national debate over the war.

“It’s an issue that divides people,” Mr. Bartlett said. “Even people that supported the president aren’t immune from having their own feelings and emotions.”

dowd, for his part, doesn't want to comment on rove either...

Mr. Dowd said he had not spoken to Mr. Rove in months but would not discuss their relationship in detail.

it's interesting because karl rove is probably more responsible for the creation called george w. bush than george w. bush is... maybe the man dowd "fell in love with" was the creation of rove...?

“When you fall in love like that,” he said, “and then you notice some things that don’t exactly go the way you thought, what do you do? Like in a relationship, you say ‘No no, no, it’ll be different.’ ”

[...]

“I had finally come to the conclusion that maybe all these things along do add up,” he said. “That it’s not the same, it’s not the person I thought.”

falling OUT of love with george bush... what a thought...! i'm afraid that's going to stick with me for a while like one of those obnoxious songs that you just can't get out of your head...

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Let the constitutional crisis begin!

the sooner, the better...

During a press briefing yesterday, presidential counselor Dan Bartlett signaled that the White House will fight congressional efforts to have Karl Rove testify about his role in the U.S. Attorney purge.

I find it highly unlikely that a member of the White House staff would testify publicly to these matters, but that doesn’t mean we won’t find other ways to try to share that information.

Press Secretary Tony Snow was also resistant:

Well, as you know, Ed, it has been traditional in all White Houses not to have staffers testify on Capitol Hill. So I think what we have been trying to do is to work in a way to be as forthcoming with members of Congress — you saw all the emails coming out today — give them all the information so that they can make a fair judgment about it.

fortunately, we have leahy...

Thankfully, Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy (D-VA) isn’t backing down. Last night on PBS, Leahy referred to Tim Griffen as Rove’s “acolyte,” and said he will “insist” that senior White House officials testify “in public, in sworn testimony, under oath“:

I intend to bring the attorney general up here. I am requesting several other people to come up here, certainly Mr. Sampson, Ms. Miers, I assume eventually Karl Rove. If they don’t come, then I’ll seek to subpoena them up here, because the story changes almost every time we pick up the newspaper. […]

What I want to find out is what happened, why we’ve been given different stories. And I want those answers, not in an informal briefing; I want those answers in public, in sworn testimony, under oath before my committee. As chairman, that’s what I insist.

< rubs hands together in fevered anticipation > can't wait...

(thanks to think progress...)

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If Bush asks for Gonzales' resignation, he'd have to resign himself

'splainin', 'splainin', 'splainin', 'splainin'...

Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Wednesday it's up to President Bush whether he remains in the administration and said he wants to stay and explain to Congress the circumstances surrounding the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.

Amid an escalating political row and calls from some Democrats for his resignation, Gonzales said, "I work for the American people and serve at the pleasure of the president."

"I think you can look at the record of the department in terms of what we've done ... going after child predators, public corruption cases," he said on NBC's "Today" show. "I think our record is outstanding."

[...]

Bush retains full confidence in the attorney general, spokesman Dan Bartlett, traveling with Bush in Mexico, said Wednesday. "He's a standup guy," Bartlett said of Gonzales.

alberto has so much dirt on george, he CAN'T let him resign... bush is going to sit tight, let gonzo keep on 'splainin', and letting tony snow and dan bartlett keep on issuing statements of presidential support... the only way anybody is going to do any truth-telling is under subpoena, and, if subpoenas are issued, it will spark the consitutional crisis we've been expecting for so long... bring it on, i say...

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