Sally Quinn tells Laura it's time to act, passes advice from senior GOP

[DeepModem Mom]

At least, this time, Ms. Quinn/Bradlee is not handing out advice on marital morality --

WP: Essay
From Her Lips to His Ear
By Sally Quinn
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 24, 2006; Page C01

.... Tell him to throw out the Kool-Aid. "The White House is not a cult," said one high-ranking former White House staffer. "Everybody vibrates in harmony over there," complained another.

· Stress the importance of new blood. Nancy persuaded the president to get rid of Donald Regan and bring in Howard Baker, Frank Carlucci and Ken Duberstein. This doesn't have to be seen as a vote of no confidence in the staff as much as a reprieve. Chief of Staff Andy Card is one of the most well-liked people in Washington. But he has been on an inhuman schedule for five years, and he reportedly covets the job of Treasury secretary. "He is a wonderful, decent, nice guy, but you need an SOB in that job now," said one Republican who served in the Reagan administration....

***

· Tell George to listen to his Cabinet officers. Except for those in State and Defense, they are chopped liver, out of the loop, no seat at the table, John Snow in particular....

***


· Because the war is going so badly, a number of Republicans think it's time for Donald Rumsfeld to go. Even those who like him say that as the architect of the war, he is not the one to turn it around. Some suggest a conservative-leaning Democrat like Sam Nunn or Joe Lieberman would be a smart move. Whether it's the secretary of defense or some other job, perhaps you could persuade the president to bring in a Democrat. "That would give you protection against Democratic attacks and restore bipartisan spirit," said Gergen.

· And remind your husband to pay some attention to Congress. Republicans on the Hill feel excluded from the decision-making process. "Listen to Democrats, too," said a Republican. "They don't have horns."...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/23/AR2006032302001.html

[senseandsensibility]

1. This trainwreck of an "administration" has gone way

beyond a staff shakeup. Keep dreaming that that will save your boy, Sally. Quinn is guzzling the kool-aid if she thinks thats the solution.

[wordpix2]

2. LOL--straw men ("some") say Joe Lieberbush as Sec. of Defense--hahaha

What a choice---now there's a guy with a finger on the military pulse who knows what's happening in Iraq. NOT.

[BurtWorm]

4. To be fair, one idiot at least suggested him.

Fred Barnes suggested him in a column this week. And if Barnes suggested him, it must be conventional wisdom among the constipated elite.

[marylanddem]

3. I used to respect Sally Quinn

Once upon a time she seemed to be a serious & gifted feature writer (Watergate era) - Now she poses as the doyenne of the
D.C. social scene & it's snobby & disgusting. Can't stand to read her stuff.

[BurtWorm]

5. Typical Tripe a la Quinn

"The president's poll numbers have tanked. They are among the lowest of any president in history at this point in his term. So think back to Ronald Reagan's second term. He was mired in Iran-contra, his staff was exhausted, and their reaction to criticism was to dig in. Nancy managed to clean house, bring the White House back in touch with the outside world and, in doing so, allowed Reagan to clear his head, end the Cold War and "tear down that wall, Mr. Gorbachev." His polls skyrocketed, from a low of 42 to 68 percent when he left office.

"Because of the nature of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Hillary Clinton was unable to carry off the same trick. But you are perfectly positioned."

It's doubtful that Sally means, "Because Clinton's numbers never sagged in his second term as low as W's..."

:eyes: