Repairing Hull Breaches

As we reported a couple of days ago the hull of the HMS Bush has been breached just in time for the November midterm elections. Bush has been getting a lot of advice on how to fix the breach but as we all know by now he doesn't take kindly to advice. As Jazz reported below the advice he is getting from The Weekly Standard's own resident idiot, Fred Barnes, is to dump Dick Cheney for Condiliar Rice. Now while it's true that Darth Cheney is about as popular as a mosquito carrying West Nile disease George W. Bush's problem is not Dick Cheney it's George W. Bush. Five years of incompetence and lies have finally caught up with him. Bush no longer has any credibility and once you lose that you don't get it back. But Joe Gandelman thinks it might help if done properly.

If it was framed properly — and not as His Royalty The President deciding who the next President of The United States will be — it could be a plus for the administration. Cheney remains highly controversial because there is a suspicion that his stubbornness and seeming desire to get facts to fit into a preconceived viewpoint has reinforced Bush's own modus operandi. And his image remains sullied by the Plamegate case and will likely remain so until the case is fully prosecuted (unless he is forced to testify or even charged in some aspect of it).

Will it happen? A Cheney exit seems a possible Bush trump card — one that could have some influence if timed correctedly (such as in October). But if Bush decides to do it (and Cheney agrees to it) he might consider ignoring Barnes' advice that in sending Cheney back to Wyoming to give him time to do more hunting (if Cheney can find some uninsured partners) it be framed as the President decreeing to the Republican Party and nation someone who can continue his government beyond 2008. Why bother with primaries then?

But if it was couched as Barnes suggests it wouldn't be surprising: it would be one more example of a government that seemingly is government of the base, by the base and for the base — and achieving national unity (and national support) means more than just the base.

It might give him a temporary boost that might be enough to salvage a Republican controlled congress but I'm not convinced. When you lose your credibility a majority will see ulterior motives in everything you do. So what are they going to do? Via Raw Story Time Magazine's Mike Allen brings us Josh Bolton's five point plan.

Deploy Guns and Badges

Under the banner of homeland security, the White House plans to seek more funding for an extremely visible enforcement crackdown at the Mexican border.

Make Wall Street Happy

In an effort to curry favor with dispirited Bush backers in the investment world, the Administration will focus on two tax measures already in the legislative pipeline to please investors.

Brag More

White House officials.... are planning a more focused and consistent effort to talk about the [Medicare] program's successes after months of press reports on start-up difficulties... and highlight any glimmer of success in Iraq....

Reclaim Security Credibility

Presidential advisers believe that by putting pressure on Iran, Bush may be able to rehabilitate himself on national security, a core strength that has been compromised by a discouraging outlook in Iraq.

Court The Press

Administration officials said [new White House chief of staff Josh Bolten] believes the White House can work more astutely with journalists to make its case to the public.... His first move... was to offer the press secretary job to Tony Snow of Fox News... who served George H.W. Bush as speechwriting director.

Will it work? Only if reality cooperates which seems unlikely.