Is there a power struggle between Bush and his puppet masters?

[drm604]

First we have the whole Harriet Myers debacle, wherein Bush nominated his personal lawyer for SCOTUS, the right-wing went ape-shit, and he withdrew his nomination and nominated Samuel Alito instead.

Then we have Grover Norquist stating that Bush is breaking the law with his domestic surveillance program.

Now, after Bush's statement in the SOTU Address that we are "addicted to oil" his energy secretary and national economic adviser say that he didn't mean it literally and the right-wing mouthpiece Competitive Enterprise Institute has a front-page feature feature article titled "Addicted to Oil?" which states:

The president's dangerous rhetoric that we are addicted to oil is an indication that the administration is addicted to confused thinking about energy policies,” says Myron Ebell, CEI's director of energy policy. "President Bush might as well have said, ‘we're addicted to prosperity, comfort, and mobility, and I've got the policies to do something about it.'

So what is going on? Is there dissension within the ranks? Not that Bush is about to join our ranks or anything, but there does seem to be a recent spate of very public disagreements between him and the radical right. Why is frigging Grover Norquist, of all people, turning on him? What is going on, and is it somehow to our advantage?

[xxqqqzme]

1. the neo-cons are culling the herd.

[drm604]

3. Yep

And that "addicted to prosperity..." line seems to be popping up all over the place. So it looks like they're actually putting out talking points against him.

[Syncronaut Seven]

2. Everything in politics is pre-determined.

When the dog and pony show ends, it means they have no use for it anymore. :scared:

The job of the president is to distract attention away from power.

The number of people who believe that * acts of his own desires and volition are stunning.

Why did they pick the stupid one? A question I first asked in 2000. You tell me.

[applegrove]

4. GOP & elites have gotten perhaps all they can squeeze out of their

monkey - policywise. So now they turn to McCain and separating themselves from Bush. Desperate to keep control of the Presidency & the Congress.

They will really throw him overboard if they need that to be.

I think Miers was just Bush making a decision he thought was good. Likely politicos around him knew it was awful. But they wanted Alito - not a woman. Perhaps they didn't trust the two women jurists they had mentioned before. Perhaps they were trying to punish Bush for trying to break with them. Or show how incompetant he was without Rummy & Cheney & Rove breathing over him all day long.

Anyway - Miers served whatever purpose she was meant to serve. Alito is in.

[drm604]

5. Kick for the after upgrade crowd.

:kick: