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Storm damage« Thread Started on Oct 31, 2005, 3:40am » -----

Daily newsbrief journal for October 2005, also see http://www.usdemocrats.com/brief for a global 100-page perpetual brief and follow twitter @usdemocrats


Storm damage« Thread Started on Oct 31, 2005, 3:40am » -----

Postby admin » Thu Jan 26, 2012 1:30 pm

Storm damage« Thread Started on Oct 31, 2005, 3:40am » --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Storm damageOct 27th 2005From The Economist print editionread source: http://www.economist.com/opinion/displa ... 0493George Bush should use Harriet Miers's withdrawal as a prompt to rebuild his presidencyMANY jobs get easier the longer you do them. But not the presidency. The second term usually sees the occupant of the White House gradually engulfed by scandal and disappointment: that was the story with both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Seldom, however, has the fall from grace been as rapid as it has been with George Bush. The man who marched triumphantly back into the White House a year ago at the head of a conservative revolution now looks more isolated and powerless than ever. This week, Mr Bush suffered one hefty blow to his authority and prepared to receive another. On October 27th Harriet Miers, his personal lawyer, whom he had foolishly nominated to the Supreme Court, withdrew. The excuse given was that she could not answer the questions asked of her by increasingly indignant senators without breaking rules about client privilege. In fact, her nomination was in trouble with politicians of all persuasions for the simple reason that she was woefully underqualified for the highest court in the land. Even social conservatives objected to a born-again Christian who opposed abortion on the ground that she looked like a presidential crony. AdvertisementIt was also a personal humiliation for Mr Bush. He had vouched for her character. His basic pitch on her behalf had come down to two words: trust me. But many senators were not inclined to do so. They saw a woman with little experience of constitutional law, whose main qualification seemed to be a fawning admiration for “the most brilliant man she had ever met”. Ms Miers's written answers to the Judiciary Committee were so embarrassing that senators from both sides asked her to resubmit them. This was clearly an exercise in nepotism rather than careful selection.The Plame blame falls maybe on the BrainThe second potential blow, still undelivered as The Economist went to press, was due from Patrick Fitzgerald, a special prosecutor investigating the “outing” of a covert CIA agent called Valerie Plame. In his sights were two of the president's men: Karl Rove, Mr Bush's main political adviser (whom Democrats refer to dismissively as “the president's brain”), and Scooter Libby, chief-of-staff to Dick Cheney. There was even a danger of Mr Cheney himself being sucked into part of it.The case is a complicated one. It revolves around the spin-doctors' briefing of journalists about Ms Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, a former ambassador, who had been sent to Niger by the CIA to investigate whether Saddam Hussein was trying to buy uranium there—and who had subsequently accused Mr Bush of lying on that score. Much depends on whether Mr Bush's men knew that Ms Plame was a covert agent, and what exactly they said to the investigating prosecutor. All the same, any indictment, even under a technicality to do with perjury, would still be a hammer-blow if it involved Mr Rove. The architect of Mr Bush's victories in 2000 and 2004 is not only crucial to the running of the White House; he is also the man best placed to repair Mr Bush's relations with the right. Conservatives are furious not just about the Miers nomination, but also about government spending and Iraq. The problem for Mr Bush is that Ms Miers's withdrawal and the fuss about Plamegate compound a picture of incompetence and sleaze. In the wake of his disastrous handling of Hurricane Katrina (where he also got into trouble for having appointed cronies to important jobs), Mr Bush's approval ratings have fallen to around 40%. Americans by a wide margin now claim they will vote for congressional candidates who oppose him. His main domestic goal—reforming the Social Security pension system—looks beyond reach already.As for foreign policy, support for the American-led invasion of Iraq has fallen sharply this year. This week a rare triumph—the passing of the new constitution—was balanced by the 2,000th American death in the conflict. As for scandal, the Republican leader in the Senate, Bill Frist, is under investigation for insider dealing and the House leader, Tom DeLay, has been indicted on charges to do with campaign fraud. It would be foolish to count Mr Bush out—especially if Mr Rove survives. The Republicans still look well placed to hang on to Congress next year—if only because the Democrats are so shambolic. The withdrawal of Ms Miers may even come to be seen a turning point. But only if Mr Bush learns from his mistakes.The main priority is to clean up the White House and to remove the tinge of cronyism. After all, whenever Mr Bush appoints well qualified people, he gains. He won plaudits for appointing John Roberts to be chief justice of the Supreme Court; the same broadly applies to making Ben Bernanke head of the Federal Reserve. When he appoints people like Ms Miers or Michael Brown, the erstwhile horse-expert whom he put in charge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, it returns to haunt him. Choosing somebody who is intellectually first-rate for the Supreme Court would be a good first step. But the broom must surely sweep more briskly than that. Whatever comes of Mr Fitzgerald's investigation, it is an excuse for a clean-out of some of the more established retainers, who have underperformed. It is well past time for Mr Bush to call Donald Rumsfeld to account for the disasters in Iraq and much more.Mr Bush should take the same approach to Congress. One reason why spending is out of control is the worrying links between the Republican Party and lobbyists. Far too much money has been spent on boondoggle projects of one sort or another. Mr Bush, who has yet to use the presidential veto even when presented with absurdities like a bridge to nowhere in Alaska, should not tolerate any more follies.Mr Bush is an odd mixture. Few recent presidents have come to the White House with such a bold vision to change society or been so willing to spend political capital in that quest. But his boldness will come to naught if it is not followed up by efficient execution. Unless he tidies up his administration after this storm, Mr Bush runs the risk of sullying the ideas that he has championed
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