Did Bush Blink?

Here are the Fox News poll results , and Bush's approval ratings by sex and party.

Ronald Brownstein writes in the Los Angeles Times: "Americans, by a greater than 3-1 margin, oppose the proposed deal that would allow a state-owned Arab firm to assume control of operations at several U.S. ports, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found. . . .

"Buffeted by resistance to the port transaction and discontent over the turmoil in Iraq, President Bush's approval rating fell to 38%, the lowest level recorded for him in a Times poll. His disapproval rating rose to 58%.

"And, in a trend that could affect turnout in the November midterm elections, Bush confronts what might be called an intensity gap: The percentage of Americans who said they strongly disapproved of his performance on a wide range of issues greatly exceeded the share who strongly approved."

Here are the Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll results.

What the President Knew

I didn't have time yesterday to do much more than link to Murray Waas 's latest National Journal story. But it's worth revisiting. So let me try to summarize.

First of all, the story is based on super-secret one-page intelligence summaries that Bush can't say he didn't read. In at least one case, Waas writes, CIA Director George Tenet made Bush read them right in front of him.

The story asserts that even as Bush was repeatedly warning that Saddam might use chemical or biological weapons against the United States (or provide such weapons to terrorist groups) he knew that intelligence agencies were unanimous that Saddam was in no way an imminent threat to the U.S. -- with the possible exception of if he was attacked.

The story also asserts that even as he was publicly saying that Saddam's acquisition of high-strength aluminum tubes was evidence of a nuclear weapons program, Bush knew that some intelligence experts strongly dissented from that view.

Go read Waas's story -- then revisit Bush's State of the Union address on January 28, 2003. Read Bush's speech in Cincinnati on October 7, 2002. Troll around the House Government Reform minority office's Iraq on the Record database. Search for mentions of aluminum tubes and the like.

Torture Watch

Josh White and Carol D. Leonnig write in The Washington Post: "Bush administration lawyers, fighting a claim of torture by a Guantanamo Bay detainee, yesterday argued that the new law that bans cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees in U.S. custody does not apply to people held at the military prison.

"In federal court yesterday and in legal filings, Justice Department lawyers contended that a detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, cannot use legislation drafted by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to challenge treatment that the detainee's lawyers described as 'systematic torture.' . . .

" 'Unfortunately, I think the government's right; it's a correct reading of the law,' said Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director for Human Rights Watch. 'The law says you can't torture detainees at Guantanamo, but it also says you can't enforce that law in the courts.' "

Flash back to Bush's Jan. 26 press conference , where Bush said: "No American will be allowed to torture another human being anywhere in the world."

Now in addition to asking him what he meant by "torture" I guess we have to ask him what he meant by "anywhere in the world."

Scooter Libby Watch

R. Jeffrey Smith writes in The Washington Post: "Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a court affidavit released yesterday that indicted former White House official I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby is not entitled to know everything that government investigators learned about other leaks to reporters regarding Valerie Plame's employment as a covert CIA operative."

Personnel Watch

Bush announced three new White House hires yesterday.

Erin P. Billings anticipated one of them in Roll Call (subscription required) on Tuesday: "Sean O'Hollaren, a senior government relations official at Honeywell International, is returning to the Bush legislative affairs shop to take over as the lead Senate liaison for the White House, several sources confirmed Monday."

O'Hallaren worked in legislative affairs at the White House from 2003 to 2004 before going to lobby for Honeywell, a major government contractor.

Lisa E. Epifani will be special assistant to the president for economic policy; Brian V. McCormack will be special assistant to the president and deputy director of public liaison.

What's Luck Got to Do With It?

Paul Krugman writes in his New York Times opinion column (subscription required): "Some commentators speak of the series of disasters now afflicting the Bush administration -- there seems to be a new one every week -- as if it were just a string of bad luck. But it isn't.

"If good luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, bad luck is what happens when lack of preparation meets a challenge. And our leaders, who think they can govern through a mix of wishful thinking and intimidation, are never, ever prepared."