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Denial — a River That Runs Through The White House
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04/01/07 10:48 AM ET
Matthew Dowd has seen the light. Former chief strategist for Bush 2004 and one of the insider of insiders, Dowd is breaking from the "loyal Bushies", as Kyle Sampson would describe those surrounding the President.
This is big. He believes that the Bush policy on Iraq is wrong and he is severely disappointed that the president is in such a "bubble" that he has adopted a my way-or-the highway approach to Congress. He points to the radical difference between what Bush campaigned on in 2000 — uniter not a divider — and where he is today. This is not a bitter or angry or vindictive break, either. The comments in The New York Times on Sunday were thoughtful and heartfelt. This makes this all the more difficult for the Bush team to respond to and combat.
I do believe that the levees are overflowing and the dams are breaking at the Bush White House (sorry for that analogy). This was as tightly controlled a message and staff operation as we have seen in modern politics for the first four years. No more. Bush is in severe denial, on the war, on his domestic program, on budget and tax issues, and particularly on the degree of support from Republicans.
He can bring them all down to the White House and line them all up in a photo-op but they are not standing behind him. The smart ones know that unless this president changes course and attitude quickly, lame duck will be a kind phrase for him. They are looking ahead, and if by fall or early winter Iraq is still a mess and Bush is hovering
around a 30% approval rating, Republicans will be leaving him in much the same manner as Matthew Dowd.
This is big. He believes that the Bush policy on Iraq is wrong and he is severely disappointed that the president is in such a "bubble" that he has adopted a my way-or-the highway approach to Congress. He points to the radical difference between what Bush campaigned on in 2000 — uniter not a divider — and where he is today. This is not a bitter or angry or vindictive break, either. The comments in The New York Times on Sunday were thoughtful and heartfelt. This makes this all the more difficult for the Bush team to respond to and combat.
I do believe that the levees are overflowing and the dams are breaking at the Bush White House (sorry for that analogy). This was as tightly controlled a message and staff operation as we have seen in modern politics for the first four years. No more. Bush is in severe denial, on the war, on his domestic program, on budget and tax issues, and particularly on the degree of support from Republicans.
He can bring them all down to the White House and line them all up in a photo-op but they are not standing behind him. The smart ones know that unless this president changes course and attitude quickly, lame duck will be a kind phrase for him. They are looking ahead, and if by fall or early winter Iraq is still a mess and Bush is hovering
around a 30% approval rating, Republicans will be leaving him in much the same manner as Matthew Dowd.
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