Comment was made yesterday that Scott McClellan really had no role in the Bush attempt to subvert the Constitution [hat tip BTC News ... but Bush is not just "incompetent" Carl, so don't suggest that as a possible out] and so forth, so "his" decision to move on (awww) really is of no note:
The resignation of the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, is an event of almost complete insignificance except insofar as the beleaguered White House presents it as an important change. McClellan is a flea on the windshield of history. Inside the Bush White House, he was a nonplayer, a factotum, the instrument of Karl Rove, Bush's chief political strategist and deputy chief of staff. McClellan played no part in the inner councils of state. He was a vessel for his masters, did whatever he was told, put out disinformation without objection and was willing to defend any travesty. He is the ultimate dispensable man.
I'm not quite sure about that Sidney. An almospitiablele lackey does serve certain purposes. Surely, doing things like "put[ting] out disinformation without objection" is a useful tool to have. While the official line was clearly b.s., on some level reporters could not take it seriously, since they figured it was obviously so. But, the b.s. continues to flow. This is why I am somewhat tired of all this talk about how low the poll numbers of the Bush Administration continue to be. The guy continues to be in power, doing more things that keep those numbers low. Tell you what -- increase those numbers by resigning. Then, I'll be happy.
Anyway, yeah, Team Bush is undergoing some changes. Not to worry Bushies -- "Josh Bolten" (not to be confused by John Bolton, though both are conservative) seems to be nice and loyal, not really wanting any true change. Sure, Karl Rove lost his domestic policy portfolio though one doubts that he will lose any real power in the process. His old deputy chief of staff for policy will be taken by another insider, Joel Kapan, who was involved in efforts to stop the recount [or rather, count, since many never were counted to begin with] of ballots in Florida. Apparently, many of those morons obtained positions in the Bush Administration.
Fitting really. Talking about fitting, Democracy Now! had a story today about the troubling issue of basically unregulated civilian contractors in Iraq (not covered by military regulations but local Iraqi law is no true check either). It played a clip of someone asking him a question about the matter, which he responsed with a laugh and a comment that it was an interesting question that he would ask about. The questioner laughed as well -- must not do that. Must not play along with that persona. No enablers to this sort of thing:
The White House, for its part, has turned the issue of accountability of Blackwater and other private security companies into a joke, literally. This April at a forum at Johns Hopkins, Bush was asked by a student about bringing "private military contractors under a system of law," to which Bush replied, laughing, that he was going to ask Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, "I was going to--I pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, I've got an interesting question [laughter]. This is what delegation--I don't mean to be dodging the question, although it's kind of convenient in this case, but never--[laughter] I really will--I'm going to call the Secretary and say you brought up a very valid question, and what are we doing about it? That's how I work."
[Tiresome Mets losing to Braves etc. whining deleted. Happy Birthday Justice John Paul Stevens. And, good health. Remember, Justice Holmes staid past ninety when you were a mere boy.]