Sometimes it genuinely feels like Bush sits in a back room and makes decisions based on what would piss off Democrats the most. Bolton fit that category, and making Rove special reconstruction head does as well:
Republicans said Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff and Mr. Bush's chief political adviser, was in charge of the reconstruction effort, which reaches across many agencies of government and includes the direct involvement of Alphonso R. Jackson, secretary of housing and urban development.
Josh, blood pressure rising and steam beginning to pool in his eardrums, says this proves that the reconstruction will be a wholly inefficient and politically-run effort.
Well, yes, but only because this administrations' DNA happens to be a double helix with one strand inefficient and the other being blatantly political. But I don't think they're making a special effort here. If they were, Karl Rove would from behind the scenes while Rudy, Colin, Clinton, Rice, Zinni, someone who makes polls tick in the right direction would storm around the Sunday shows talking big dreams and promising bigger things.
But they're not. And you know why?
Because they care anymore. The White House has senioritis. I don't know how much more obvious they can make this one. Bush got reelected. He's a two-termer. He beat the Democrats. He's got a cowed congressional majority. Cheney's not running to succeed him. So this administration, at this point, could frankly give a shit. Bush will amble on stage, have a Wall Street Journal writer pen him a speech full of big government plaudits neither of them believe, stroll back into the office, ask who wants the reconstruction job, Rove will lazily raise his hand, and Bush is in bed by 10.
What's next?
