New WH chief of staff may shitcan aging Bush teenybopper
No-talent assclown Josh Bolten's next victim may be Preznit Poopypants' adoring pet counsel Harriet Miers, an "influential republican" has said. Yes, the same Harriet Miers that Bunnypants picked for the Supreme Court.

Mr. Bolten is said by a number of republicans in Washington to feel that Ms. Miers is indecisive, a weak manager and slow in moving vital paperwork through the system.

"She's also been spending way too much time gazing at Josh's Wall o' Bush hand pics," said an anonymous staffer.

Moving Ms. Miers would be a strike at the heart of the Great Decider's emotional bonds in the White House and would eliminate another Texan from the circle he has kept close to him in Washington. Republicans who talk regularly to senior West Wing advisers say the president has been unhappy and on edge about the staff changes that he nonetheless sees as necessary for revitalizing the West Wing.

"Poopies! No way!"
*****

Rove demotion tied to leak inquiry, misadministration train-wreck

"Insiders say the move is not just window dressing. They say that Rove's role in the CIA leak investigation may have also triggered the move, and that Rove has not proven as adept at the nuts and bolts of policy as he is at political strategy, citing the failure of Social Security reform and the lack of a compelling domestic policy agenda."

Fox News: 'we're #ucked!'
Resolute war preznit "clearly damaged by sinking support" among republicans.

Bush’s approval hits a new record low of 33 percent this week in the latest poll from Fox 'News.' More Americans disapprove than evar of how the Boy King, Don Rumsfeld and Congress are doing their jobs, and people who aren't retiring Exxon CEOs say it feels like the economy is getting worse rather than better.

Josh Bolten: bowler, sycophant, wackjob
Bolton's wall collection of Bush photos is unique. The pictures focus exclusively on Bush's hands at key moments in his pants presidency. Not a single photo of Bush's face can be found.

"I think the President is a terrific leader and a great guy," [the no-talent assclown] said. "But that stupid monkey-face gives me the willies."

I guess that means he doesn't have the one of Preznit Dignitude rootin' fer taters up his blowhole. Pity.

Pyramid unearthed - in Bosnia
Very cool -

The structure is a colossal 722 feet high, or a third taller than Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza. The huge stone blocks discovered Wednesday appear to be cut in cubes and polished.

Another find is a tunnel believed to be linking several pyramid-shaped hills in the valley of the central Bosnian town of Visoko. Rescue teams from a nearby coal mine were the first ones to enter the tunnel that is presumed to be part of an underground network. They were followed by archeologists, geologists and other experts who, after they came out said, the tunnel was man-made.

'Decider' Bush is responsible
After pussyfooting around for the entire piece, the author of this opinion in the USA Toady finally hits the nail on the head: "for all the symbolism and all the bad decisions, Rumsfeld is not the person most accountable. The president is."

Things change, and stay the same
It's hard work! Heh heh

[The resolute Decider-in-Chief] wants to show the nation he's shaking things up in his misadministration, but it is clear that the people who fucked everything up will remain in place. The press secretary goes; that sneaky fuck Rove is losing half his portfolio. There's a new White House chief of staff. But the neocon nincompoops at the Defense Department are still on the job, doing ... whatever the hell they've been doing.

Metaphors about rats and deck chairs abound.

The sudden exit of hapless WH spokes-tool Scott McClellan would be meaningless under normal circumstances. But in the current context, it really does send an important message. The straight-talkin' president is like one of those people who pretend to apologize by saying they're sorry if they were misunderstood. He doesn't believe he's done anything wrong. It's our fault for not appreciating him.

Blame the victim.

- from a NY Times editorial (paraphrasing).


Clicky.

Watchdog press - or lapdog press?
Huh.

No matter which party they generally favor or political stripes they wear, newspapers and other media outlets need to confront the fact that America faces a crisis almost without equal in recent decades.

Republicans and Democrats alike are starting to face the prospect of what it means to have George W. Bush as their commander in chief for another 33 months -- in a time of war, terrorism, and nuclear intrigue. How can the press contribute to confronting the crisis? First: recognize it exists.

Let's start with the dishonest hacks at the WaComPo -

Shame on the Post's editorial page, says Robert Parry:

As arguably the most influential newspaper in the nation’s capital, the Post might have been expected to encourage a healthy pre-war debate that reflected diverse opinions from experts in the fields of government, diplomacy, academia, the military and the broader American public. War, after all, is not a trivial matter.

Instead, the Post’s editorial section served as a kind of pro-war bulletin board, posting neoconservative manifestos attesting to the wisdom of invading Iraq and tacking up harsh indictments of Americans who dissented from George W. Bush’s war plans.

Yet what is perhaps most amazing is that even now – after all that’s been learned about Bush’s Iraq War deceptions – the Post’s editorial page continues to act as the administration’s hall monitor for the war, trying to keep the American people and especially Washington insiders in line.

Pic from cuteoverload.com

Fitzmas in July?
Grand jury hears evidence against slimy svengali Karl Rove

The grand jury session yesterday in federal court in Washington, DC, sources close to the case said, was the first time this year that Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald told the jurors that he would soon present them with a list of criminal charges he intends to file against Karl Rove in hopes of having the grand jury return a multi-count indictment. In an interview on Wednesday, Rove's attorney Robert Luskin confirmed that Rove remains a "subject" of Fitzgerald's two-year-old probe.

Makin' progress
Democracy's on the march!

A new poll of leaders of Iraqi women's-rights groups finds that women were treated better and their civil rights were more secure under deposed President Saddam Hussein than under the faltering and increasingly sectarian US-installed government.

Makin' progress II
Huge explosion near US embassy rocks Kabul

A massive explosion rocked the Afghan capital late Wednesday near the diplomatic area where the US Embassy is located.

Worst... president... ever
One of America's leading historians assesses George W. Bush, lying warmonkey:

George W. Bush's presidency appears headed for colossal historical disgrace. Barring a cataclysmic event on the order of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, after which the public might rally around the White House once again, there seems to be little the administration can do to avoid being ranked on the lowest tier of U.S. presidents. And that may be the best-case scenario. Many historians are now wondering whether Bush, in fact, will be remembered as the very worst president in all of American history.

And now, the money shot:

More than half the country now considers Bush dishonest and untrustworthy, and a decisive plurality consider him less trustworthy than his predecessor, Bill Clinton -- a figure still attacked by conservative zealots as "Slick Willie."

Ha ha ha ha ha!


Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!

"A demotion is not enough"

This morning, pasty scumhole Karl Rove was demoted and forced to give up "oversight of policy development" in the White House. This news comes on the heels of White House proclamations of major staff reshuffling that have led to new faces in the West Wing, but no changes to the President's failed policies.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement:

"After having his hand in nearly every bad Bush policy decision and nearly every scandal that has consumed the Bush White House, it is not surprising that Karl Rove was demoted this morning. But a demotion is not enough. From the collapse of the President's scheme to privatize social security to Rove's involvement in the outing of a covert CIA agent's identity while he still holds a security clearance, the President has abundant reason to fire Karl Rove.

"The Bush White House is merely engaging in window dressing. President Bush doesn't seem to understand that you can't just change the window dressing, you have to make changes in the Bush Administration's policies which have undermined America's security - from the economy to health care, our families and the war in Iraq."

Theaetetus writes: "Ah, all the good shakeups happening in the misadministration... Let's see, there's Andrew Card, the guy who organizes the President's schedule, answers his mail, and sets the menu for lunch... and Scott McClellan, the guy who talks to the press for the President.

"This is a shake-up? Who's next, Claire Taplett, the Deputy Director of the Gift Unit? Brian Cossiboom, the Executive Assistant to the Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel (real title)? John Currin, the Director of Fact Checking? Oh, wait, he left a long time ago."

Puppet theatre
"It's going to be hard to replace Scott, but nevertheless he made the decision and I accepted it. One of these days, he and I are going to be rocking in chairs in Texas and talking about the good old days^*," the Decider-in-Chief said at a news conference today. "Like, 'remember that time I had you go out and lie to the nation every day for like 3 years? ... that was awesome. Now let's go cut some brush!'"


^*Wtf ones are those???

Makin' progress
'Militants broke into two elementary schools in a mainly Shiite district of Baghdad and slaughtered two teachers in front of their pupils, the Iraqi government said Wednesday.'

When kin ah bomb sumbody, Karl?
According to the latest poll, the Decidership's approval rating is a decidedly low 35%.

Only thirty-five percent of 1,008 US adults surveyed think Bush is doing an "excellent or pretty good" job as president, down from 36% in March and significantly lower than 43% in January, according to a new Harris Interactive poll. Furthermore, pessimism about the direction of US policies appears to be growing. Only 27% of Americans believe "things in this country are going in the right direction," a drop from 31% in March.

Quote
CNN's John Roberts on how the job of White House press secretary would be described in a job listing:

"Be willing to take it full in the face every day."

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Hagel: Rumsfeld sucks monkey ass

Sen. Chuck Hagel said Monday he shares the lack of confidence in Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld separately voiced by six retired America-hating traitor generals.

“The concern I’ve had is, at a very dangerous time, the secretary of defense does not command the respect and confidence of our men and women in uniform,” Hagel said. “There is a real question about his capacity to lead at this critical time.”

Speaking about a capacity for leading... "For Bush to fire Rumsfeld is for Bush to declare himself a failure as president.” - Joe Conason.

Karl Rove to lose policy portfolio
Keep his security clearance.

In another move in an ongoing shakeup of President Stupid's staff, longtime confidant and svengali Karl Rove is giving up oversight of policy development to focus more on politics with the approach of the fall midterm elections, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

As if there's a difference.

Another handjob from Howie
And the WaComPo. Conservative hack and Bush apologist wHoward Kurtz writes a creamy paean to conservative hack and Bush apologist Brit Hume, defending Hume's coverage of the swift-boating of John Kerry and getting a dig in at the America-hating press corps that "behaved badly . . . like a pack of jackals" when Dick Cheney shot his friend in the face and when the preznit commented on the New Orleans levee breach. You can almost hear wHowie's hand squelching around Hume's little peener before helpfully guiding him home to chocolatetown.

Fun fact: "As a boss, Hume is a tough taskmaster. He can be withering in his comments to young staffers, say those who know him, and has a strong temper, once throwing a pitcher of half-frozen orange juice against the wall. But, they say, his flashes of anger quickly pass."

How very psychotic.