The Empire Strikes Bush

Rove Watch, II

Holly Bailey writes in Newsweek: "Less than six months into his second term, Bush has paid multiple visits to the hard-fought states of 2004 --- and he's not the only one. Since March, Rove has been out headlining fund-raisers and county GOP dinners in battleground states like Ohio, Florida and Wisconsin. Administration officials describe Rove's travels as a post-election 'thank you' tour to reward Bush's supporters. But others say it's an attempt to shore up the GOP base and stoke enthusiasm for Bush's agenda as the 2006 midterm elections approach."

Intel Watch

Erich Lichtblau writes in the New York Times: "The White House has been slow to establish an oversight board charged with ensuring that the government's campaign against terrorism does not erode privacy and civil rights, a bipartisan group of senators said in a letter released Friday."

Here's that letter .

I'd send you to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board's Web site -- but there isn't one, of course.

Nuclear Question

I have written before about how the press corps sometimes seems to shun big questions in favor of littler ones. Here's a big one for the president: Could he envision a circumstance in which he would call for a preemptive nuclear strike? What would that circumstance be? If not, why is the Defense Department preparing contingency plans for doing such a thing?

William Arkin writes about such things in The Washington Post.

The Five Amigos

G. Robert Hillman writes in the Dallas Morning News about the five Texans who "came to the White House with President Bush four years ago and have settled in with him for a second term.

"Four are senior staff, longtime Bush confidants who have moved from one key post to another in the corridors of White House power: deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, counselor Dan Bartlett, legal counsel Harriet Miers and press secretary Scott McClellan.

"A fifth, Blake Gottesman, is literally closest to the president as his personal aide. His closet-size office is right outside the Oval Office, and he's at Bush's side all day long."

On Gottesman, Hillman writes: "His pockets are full of whatever the president might need: hand soap, notecards, black markers."

On Miers: "One of the president's closest confidantes, Harriet Miers was his personal and campaign attorney in Texas. At the White House, she moved up quickly, from the gatekeeper post of staff secretary, to deputy chief of staff for policy, to legal counsel."

Yalta Watch

Elisabeth Bumiller asks in the New York Times: "How did the unexpected attack on Yalta get in the president's speech? What drove his thinking? Did the White House expect the fallout?"

Her conclusion, in part: "Bush's assertion of American failure at Yalta was viewed at the White House as a model for what [Russian President Vladimir] Putin should - but did not - do. It was also a poke in the eye to the Russians, salve to Bush's Baltic hosts and an attempt to contrast what Bush promotes as his uncompromising vision for democracy in the Middle East with what he sees as the expedience of the past."

Bumiller quotes an administration official who, she writes, "requested anonymity because he wanted to let the president's words speak for themselves." That official told her that the White House had in fact not anticipated last week's fallout.

Tribute

Jim VandeHei writes in The Washington Post: "President Bush paid tribute yesterday to 156 police officers who died in the line of duty last year, as colleagues and families of the fallen gathered under a somber gray sky at the U.S. Capitol for a national day of remembrance. . . .

"Afterward, the president spent nearly two hours signing mementos, embracing officers and their families and posing for pictures."

Here's the text of his speech.

Gifts and Wealth

Deb Riechmann writes for the Associated Press: "A $14,000 shotgun, a $2,700 mountain bike and five fishing rods were among $26,346 in gifts President Bush accepted last year, according to his financial disclosure form released Friday which also listed millions of dollars the president has invested in U.S. Treasury notes and certificates of deposit.

"The annual disclosures required by law offered a glimpse into the president and Vice President Dick Cheney's wealth -- and what they gave each other for Christmas last year."

Plausible Deniability

What's the White House's view on the highly controversial Defense Department list of base closures?

Here's press secretary Scott McClellan in his press briefing on Friday: "The President had not seen the list before it being announced."

The Charlotte Simmons Mystery Solved?

John F. Dickerson writes in Time magazine: "When President Bush returned from his bike ride last week carrying 'I am Charlotte Simmons' under his arm, observers seemed more worried about whether he had completed the novel than whether the Leader of the Free World should be reading and mountain biking simultaneously. The President was supposed to have finished Tom Wolfe's critique of political correctness on college campuses months ago, so why was he hanging on to it now? White House aides were quick to put minds at ease. Bush's biking partner for the day, Mike Wood, had borrowed the book --- which includes ample accounts of steamy sex-play -- and had returned Bush's copy that day. Sources familiar with Bush's current bedside favorites say he is reading 'The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag' by Kang Chol-Hwan. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger recommended the book, and now Bush is encouraging his staff to read it too."

Blogger Wonkette points out that Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times has another explanation.

Commencement Watch

Samira Jafari writes for the Associated Press: "Vice President Dick Cheney steered away from politics and the war in Iraq during his commencement speech Friday at Auburn University, instead offering graduates humorous anecdotes and a bit of team spirit.

"Introduced by Gov. Bob Riley, Cheney received a hesitant standing ovation, but quickly won hearty applause and cheers as he began by noting the Auburn football team's achievement last season."

Here's the text of his speech.

Cheney shared one secret to success: "There is one very practical lesson that comes immediately to mind. As you might have heard, six months ago I was reelected Vice President of the United States. And we appreciated having the Auburn University Marching Band at our Inauguration. But you may recall how I got started on this journey. It was during the campaign in the year 2000, when then-Governor Bush of Texas called to ask if I would help him find a running mate to be his Vice President. The lesson I want to share with you is this: If you ever get asked to head up an important search committee, say yes."

And he poked fun at his own failures: "Those of us who've been around a while can also recall a few times when life took an unexpected turn, not always in a positive direction. As I mentioned a moment ago, I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Wyoming. My college experience, though, began at a place called Yale --- but I didn't finish there. Actually, instead, I dropped out after a few semesters. Actually, dropped out isn't quite accurate. (Laughter.) Was 'asked to leave' would be more like it. (Laughter.) Twice. (Laughter.) And the second time around, they said, don't come back. (Laughter.)"