Crisis in the White House - Bush under fire

[radfringe]

Focus: Crisis in the White House
Bush under fire

Leaks, scandal, war and a floundering economy are rocking the foundations of a once invincible White House. Paul Harris reports from New York on why the Democrats suddenly scent victory

Sunday October 5, 2003
The Observer


The first email was already waiting for most White House staffers when they switched on their computers last Tuesday. It was terse. The Justice Department was investigating the leak of the identity of an undercover CIA officer. Staff were ordered to 'preserve all materials that might be relevant'.
A second email, sent late last Tuesday night, was longer but brutally specific. It demanded emails, phone records, letters, diary entries and calendars all be saved. Just to hammer home the point, the email added 'even if (their) destruction might otherwise be permitted'.

The message was simple; a witch hunt is going on in Washington. A fall guy - or two - needs to be found to explain who blew the cover of CIA operative Valerie Plame as an act of revenge against her anti-war husband.

---snip---

But there are other possible culprits. Some commentators are pointing to a growing rift between Bush and the hawkish wing of his administration in the shape of Vice-President Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. While Bush has recently sought to distance his government from linking Iraq with the 11 September terrorist attacks, Cheney has persisted.

It was also members of Cheney's staff, including top aide Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, who pushed the Niger uranium story long after Wilson had investigated the matter. Cheney and Libby are both said to have been furious with Wilson's decision to go public. 'I think the signal could have come from the Vice-President to go after Wilson, to make sure that no one else speaks out,' Mel Goodman said.

----snip----

What commentators say about George W Bush

'Bush and his crew are looking desperate as the Iraq occupation becomes more of a problem ... Even Republicans on Capitol Hill are restless over his $87 billion budget request for Iraq ... people are questioning Bush's credibility over Iraq. They should'
Leader in the Nation

'Bush is in a lot of trouble. I think they know that now. They could lose this election'
Mel Goodman, senior fellow, Centre for International Policy

'This particular squad of scoundrels is desperate. They are no longer able to bludgeon dissenters with facts; the justifications Bush and his co-conspirators used for this pre-emptive war have been revealed as dissembling, distortion and outright lies'
Columnist Cynthia Tucker, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

'He wasn't involved. The President knows he wasn't involved. It's simply not true'
Scott McClellan, presidential press spokesman, defending Karl Rove from leak allegations

'A little cloud of illegality is forming over George W. Bush's White House. If the President does not act quickly to dissipate it, he may well be swimming for his political life in the deluge of accusations that surely will follow'
Leader in The Cleveland Plain Dealer

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Yes the WH is in disarray

and yes it is STARTING to look more and more like Watergate the Sequel.

Get your popcorn folks and yes it is going to get very bumpy

[Padraig18]

2. It would be supremely ironic...

... if Bush were brought down by a scandal he DOESN'T (for once) know anything about.

[revcarol]

12. But he picked such competent people<sarcasm.>

Remember, never forget, "THE BUCK STOPS HERE."

[elfin]

13. He KNEW

because Poppy was head of CIA and must have blown his breakfast when he read Novak's column way back in July. He MUST have warned Junior of its import. (And probably gave a few clues as to how to bury it and destroy the paper, email, phone logs etc.)

[Pastiche423]

3. "Crisis in the White House - Bush under fire"

What sweet, sweet music to my ears!

It is such a lovely tune, I want to hear it over and over and over again!

[0rganism]

4. I'd rather have a "fire under Bush"

but this will have to do for now, I suppose.

[JNelson6563]

5. delightful morning news

I knew it! It is chaotic in the Capitol! hahaha!! I haven't bought that "business as usual" facade they have tried to project for one minute. They are scrambling like cock-roaches that they are because someone (Wilson) has flipped the light on.

It's about time their lies and evil deeds caught up with them. Thanks for posting Rad.

Julie

[Nay]

6. It's about freakin' time! This just brightened up my Monday.

[dbt]

7. What a wonderful headline!

Of course, it must come from a British newspaper. Can't do that in Murka. Wouldn't be prudent.

:grr:
dbt

[izzie]

8. I think Cheney runs the govt and Karl runs Bush.

Now when Bush thinks he can take over or Karl thinks he can it should be very interesting. I am willing to beat their was a deal with Cheney and he was vice when he was going to pick one. Father Bush knew his son could not do this.Cheney was put in to run things. When George is not the figure head watch out. He has left a bad smell every place he has been.

[DemBones DemBones]

9. And now they've gone against Poppy and exposed a CIA agent.

If they had better writers, this would be a Greek tragedy. It's got hubris and tangled family drama. Unfortunately, the characters do poorly at writing their own lines. Look at Dubya's "love poem" to the "lump in my bed." :eyes: He has moments of wanting to be a hero but then he opts to play it for laughs.

[Cat Atomic]

10. War in the White House? Bull.

"While Bush has recently sought to distance his government from linking Iraq with the 11 September terrorist attacks, Cheney has persisted."

That's simply not true. I've only seen Bush make statements a few times in recent weeks, but he continued mentioning Iraq and 9-11 in the same sentence every single time.

I don't buy into this "war in the White House" bullshit. Bush is the PRESIDENT, and if he can't control his own damned administration, he's got the mental capacity of a 2-year-old, mentally retarded gorilla.

I know he's stupid, but he's not that stupid. He knows damn well what's going on, because he's approving it.

[ignatius]

11. I agree, he is a moron, but politics ,nepotism,and cronyism

is his life's blood. The buck stops at the top, if he is really concerned about Wilsongate,he would have begun internal inquiries in July and he would be livid right now.

Do not let this man off the hook, He IS the pResident and just as Ken Lay should be,have been, held accountable for Enron, so shoukld Chimpy be held feet to the fire.