A Palpable Silence at the White House

[MADem]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102002321_pf.html

A Palpable Silence at the White House
Few Ready to Face Effects of Leak Case

...With special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald driving his CIA leak investigation toward an apparent conclusion, the White House now confronts the looming prospect that no one in the building is eager to address: a Bush presidency without Karl Rove. In a capital consumed by scandal speculation, most White House senior officials are no more privy than outsiders to the prosecutor's intentions. But the surreal silence in the Roosevelt Room each morning belies the nervous discussions racing elsewhere around the West Wing.

Out of the hushed hallway encounters and one-on-one conversations, several scenarios have begun to emerge if Rove or vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis Libby is indicted and forced out. Senior GOP officials are developing a public relations strategy to defend those accused of crimes and, more importantly, shield Bush from further damage, according to Republicans familiar with the plans. And to help steady a shaken White House, they say, the president might bring in trusted advisers such as budget director Joshua B. Bolten, lobbyist Ed Gillespie or party chairman Ken Mehlman.

These tentative discussions come at a time when White House senior officials are exploring staff changes to address broader structural problems that have bedeviled Bush's second term, according to Republicans who said they could speak candidly about internal deliberations only if they are not named. But it remains unclear whether Bush agrees that changes are needed and the uncertainty has unsettled his team.

"People are very demoralized and unhappy," a former administration official said. "The leak investigation is , but things were not happy before this took preeminence. It's just been a rough year. A lot has gotten done, but nothing is easy."
MORE AT LINK

The harder they fall, eh????

[Missy M]

1. The trusted advisors bush might bring in are just as bad as the...

ones that might be going out.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Could be true but they would lack the clout and ability to manipulate

with the complexity and ease of Karl Rove. So, I vote similar, but not the same.

[Missy M]

12. I am one of those people (maybe the only one) who thinks Rove is...

highly overrated. Anyone can play in the dirt and start rumors and nasty innuendos but most won't, whereas Rove will grovel in the mud all day long.

[BOSSHOG]

2. "Demoralized and unhappy white house!"

But of course bush is not responsible for anything. I recall a tour of duty in the Navy when we had a change of command and lost a tight assed paranoid out for only himself asshole who was replaced with a people first leader. It changed everything. But, of course george bush is not responsible for anything.

[acmejack]

3. It will match the mood of the Nation.

Demoralized & unhappy. Applies to the military, the populace, about everybody save the dominionists. who are ecstatic the rapture index soars...

[MADem]

4. I recall a COUPLE of tours like that

Amazing how there are more assholes in the world than there are asses!!

There's no amount of shuffling and spinning that will make it better. At very best, all they can do is staunch the bleeding. Every name they've floated to take over for the current set of criminals has a bit of a backstory that could be problematic.

Their agenda is dead in the water...good!

[SpiralHawk]

5. BushCo PR Defense strategy: attack, attack, attack

Maintaining their Republican dysfunctional pattern: when they are guilty, they blame the people who have been injured. They accept responsibility for nothing. They cannot deal with the SHAMEFULNESS of who they are and what they are doing to America.

[calimary]

6. EXCELLENT!!! Man, this is just excellent!!! GREAT to see!!!

This is exquisite:

At the White House and among its close allies, discussion about Rove's fate is verboten -- in part out of fear and in part out of ignorance about what his legal vulnerability actually is. No one in the White House wants to talk about an indictment. As another former official said, "No one wants to believe anything's going to happen." Nor do people easily discuss other staff changes. "Anyone who talks about that kind of stuff should be shot," said a third Republican with close ties to the White House.

Just exquisite!

The more disarray and denial they're in, the BETTER!!! The more easily and securely they remain crippled. Which is precisely where America needs them to be - so they can't do too much more damage. I hope this keeps them hamstrung for the rest of whatever time they have left - perhaps even LESS than three more arduous years (dare I hope)?

This is GREAT!!! ANYTHING we can do, or encourage - like when we call our reps, to keep them off-balance and distracted and in such utter disarray, is good for the rest of us, and the rest of our poor, battered, misled, ill-served, betrayed, and screwed country.

I particularly LOVE this part:

Some GOP officials outside the White House say they believe the president rejects the idea that there is anything fundamentally wrong with his presidency; others express concern that Bush has strayed so far from where he intended to be that it may require drastic action.

I hope georgie-poo just keeps on with his fingers in his ears, saying "LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA" all day. And we don't DARE give his lordship any bad news, now, do we? Can't possibly throw cold water on his nice bubble. Don't want to mess with any of that insulation!! Let him go straight on thinking that all is just ducky and everybody loves him and he's doing "a heck of a job." Hopefully he won't wake up until he's going under for the third time, just then realizing the Titanic underneath him has long since struck the iceberg and SUNK!!! He can go ahead and wake up then.

[MADem]

7. Drastic action, indeed

I don't think IMPEACHMENT is too drastic, do you?? :D

[gratuitous]

14. Reminds me of the stories about Stalin

Near the end of his reign in the Soviet Union, Stalin was more and more paranoid, convinced that there were plots being hatched against him from every corner and every shadow. The last throes of his horrible administration were particularly bloody as he lashed out at every perceived slight, every perceived disloyalty. During Politburo meetings, the members would begin applauding enthusiastically whenever Stalin put in an appearance, and woe to the person who flagged in his applause or worse, stopped applauding and was noticed by Stalin. Ovations would go on and on until people's hands were raw and sore from clapping.

On one occasion late in life, the ailing Stalin collapsed and appeared dead. One intemperate toady blurted out his relief that the old man had finally died and they were now free. Stalin, however, had simply fainted, and revived in time to hear the luckless sycophant, who soon disappeared from history.

Nobody wants to rejoice too quickly over Rove's political demise, lest this not be the career-ending indictment that it looks to be. Rove is a sneaky, shameless, vindictive piece of work, and nobody wants to be seen as planning for a time or even imagining a time when Turd Blossom won't be in power in the Bush White House.

[enough]

9. This "second term" bullshit --

snip>

But the road that led them to this moment is paved with potholes that Bush aides privately concede they could have avoided, and many Republicans are examining the situation for deeper issues to address. From the failed effort to restructure Social Security to the uproar over the Miers nomination to the Supreme Court, Bush's second-term operation has been far more prone to mistakes than his first.

snip>

The problem with Bush's second term is his FIRST TERM. It's just (we hope) commng home to roost.

[Supersedeas]

10. Preparing for public relations instead of Accountability--what a shock!!!

[Lexingtonian]

11. If they think 2005 was bad

they shouldn't even begin to contemplate what 2006 and 2007 are going to be like for them.

[pushycat]

13. Sure hope that comes true for them. Just worried they will

take us all down with 'em. We sorta need our gov to be functioning because there are so many people out there who hate us for our freedoms.. yeah right just ask a GITMO resident