An Important Indictment

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I'm Live Online today at 1 p.m. EST, happily responding to your questions and commments about all things White House.

The Albatross Effect

Ron Fournier writes for the Associated Press: "Iraq, Katrina, CIA leak, Harriet Miers. Things couldn't possibly get any worse for President Bush. Wait, they just did.

"Bush put his wispy political prestige on the line in the Virginia governor's race and lost Tuesday when the candidate he embraced in a last-minute campaign stop was soundly defeated. While there are many reasons for Jerry Kilgore's defeat, chief among them his poor campaign, giddy Democrats said the Virginia race as well as a Democratic victory in New Jersey prove that Bush is a political toxin for Republicans."

Ronald Brownstein writes in the Los Angeles Times: "Democrats swept gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia on Tuesday, sending new tremors through Republicans worried that President Bush's sagging popularity may drag down the party in next year's midterm elections."

The New York Times editorial board opines: "It's always dangerous to read national sentiments in local election results, especially when the balloting is as scattered and sparse as it was yesterday. But a few things seem obvious. Negative campaigning lost its punch. And George Bush's political capital turned into a deficit."

Brendan Nyhan posts a statistical analysis on his blog that suggests that Bush's misfortunes could have a considerable impact on the 2006 election.

But the president remains good for at least one thing: raising money.

Matthew Mosk writes in The Washington Post that Bush will host a fundraising luncheon for Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele this month.

"Steele is asking attendees to raise $5,000 to pose for a photograph with the president at the Nov. 30 event at Ravens Stadium in Baltimore. Other guests will be charged between $125 and $500."

Ethics Classes

Johanna Neuman writes in the Los Angeles Times: "Hundreds of White House employees, selected in alphabetical order, filed into Room 450 of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Tuesday to begin ethics refresher courses on how to handle classified information.

"With the CIA leak investigation contributing to a drop in his approval ratings, President Bush ordered the hourlong briefings by White House Ethics Officer Richard Painter to be conducted over the next two weeks.

"Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, said the briefings were mandatory for all 3,000 people who work in White House offices and agencies, except for the two men who hired the staff: Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.