What Would Cheney Say?

"The tense conflict is also developing into a potential new problem for President Bush.

"The White House has reached out to Republicans on Capitol Hill to allay concerns about the president's low poll numbers and to try to heal deep rifts within the party over a variety of issues, including immigration.

"The constitutional confrontation is doing nothing to help with that effort."

Charles Lane writes in The Washington Post: "The FBI raid on Rep. William Jefferson's congressional office was an aggressive tactic that broke a long-standing political custom. But while it might violate the spirit of the Constitution, it might not violate the letter of the document or subsequent rulings by the Supreme Court, legal analysts say."

There Once Was a Man Named George Dubya...

President Bush paid a visit to the Limerick Generating Station yesterday.

James Gerstenzang writes in the Los Angeles Times: "President Bush, the first president to visit a nuclear power plant since Jimmy Carter inspected the stricken Three Mile Island facility in 1979, said Wednesday that the United States 'must aggressively move forward' in the expansion of nuclear power."

Jim Rutenberg writes in the New York Times: "With Democrats seizing the national stage on gasoline prices and the environment, President Bush came here Wednesday to take it back, calling for the construction of more nuclear power plants to help reduce the greenhouse gases believed to contribute to global warming.

"'Let's quit the debate about whether greenhouse gases are caused by mankind or by natural causes; let's just focus on technologies that deal with the issue,' Mr. Bush told workers."

Here's the text of his speech, and video excerpts are here .

Snow's Job

Is the honeymoon souring? Is the press corps starting to feel like they're been played for fools? Maybe, maybe not.

Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey write for Newsweek: "How different is the shiny new White House Press Secretary Tony Snow compared to his jaded predecessor Scott McClellan?

"After more than two weeks inside the West Wing, Snow has pulled off the unusual coup of improving relations with the press corps while offering, at times, less information than McClellan. He has also managed to win widespread forgiveness for a series of foreign-policy fumbles that would have landed McClellan in deep trouble. . . .

"[T]here's been a lot of smiling and plenty of jokes and laughter during the first two weeks of Snow's tenure as Bush's new press guy. The atmosphere in the briefing room, which only weeks ago seemed poisonous beyond repair, now seems relaxed and different enough to compensate for the fact that reporters don't seem to be getting any more straightforward answers than before."

Wolffe and Bailey do a bang-up job of chronicling a host of Snow's dodges and flubs.

The Chicago Tribune's Mark Silva is still charmed, at least for now: "At some point, the self-described 'new kid on the block' will have to become conversant in all the fine points. But for the moment, a refreshingly spontaneous attitude prevails in the old press briefing room at the White House, where the pursuit of political spin by administration spokesmen had overtaken the cause of candor."

Candor, as in candidly being forthcoming? Well, maybe not.

Silva acknowledged that Snow "has fostered a conversational exchange with reporters in which candor often leads to an answer as predictable as any McClellan delivered."

The Tony Snow Show

Snow took the admittedly bold step of appearing on CNN with Lou Dobbs last night.

Said Dobbs: "Let me say, if I may at the outset, because I have been particularly critical of this administration's policies over the year there has been a -- I have been blackballed by the White House and -- for about four years now, because I've said things like radical Islamists when referring to the enemies in the war on terror, criticizing many of the president's policies.

"And I just want to compliment you in your early tenure as press secretary for having the fortitude, the intelligence and the class to break that embargo and come on here and talk."

But that was as exciting as it got. Snow didn't really say much.

"The president is trying to get the resources to the border. Rather than sitting around and having the extended debate -- and this is what I like about the plan -- it's devoted to action," Snow said.

Dobbs was aggressive: "I'm trying to get to the point that with -- the fact that three-quarters of the country, just about, as they're surveyed say we're going in the wrong direction; that there is a government that is unable to secure its borders or unwilling; there is a government that is coming to terms with illegal immigration at a time when there are more urgent and immediate priorities, it seems to many people, at a time when we're looking at trade deficits that are overwhelming us, budget deficits. We're spending $6 billion a month alone in Iraq."

Snow deflected: "You also mentioned the fact that poll data show people think the country is going in the wrong direction. Ask a different question: How are you doing? Are you doing better off than you were a year ago? Turns out that we are. . . .

"When people look at their real lives, they understand that there's a war on terror going on out there -- and I understand the vague apprehension that goes on, because we all remember September 11th, we don't want it to happen again.

"But meanwhile, how are people acting? They're taking vacations. They're buying homes. They're buying goods and services. They're acting as if they're living in good times -- because they are."

The Blair Bush Project

Julie Hirschfeld Davis writes in the Baltimore Sun: "President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, their images tarnished by public discontent over the war in Iraq, will discuss scaling back U.S. and British troops in the country when they meet at the White House today.

"Officials say the two will not announce any specific withdrawal plans but are expected to highlight the establishment of the new Iraqi government as a turning point that could pave the way for reducing the size of the American and British force. Bush and Blair plan to hold an evening news conference to amplify their upbeat message."

Bush "meets with Bush at a moment of weakness for both men, their popularity and influence sagging amid scandals and party divisions at home. The Times of London branded the meetings a 'lame duck summit,' while The Economist called Bush and Blair an 'Axis of feeble,' a play on the president's 2002 'axis of evil' speech about threats from Iraq, Iran and North Korea."

Hecht of a Job

Blogger Holden found this story by Jim Vertuno for the Associated Press: "Nathan Hecht, the Texas Supreme Court justice who publicly supported the nomination of his close friend Harriet Miers for the U.S. Supreme Court last year, has been admonished by the Commission on Judicial Conduct for using his office to promote her nomination.

"By telling White House staff to send media inquiries about Miers' career to him and discussing her qualifications in about 120 newspaper, radio and television interviews, including her religious background and views on abortion, Hecht improperly used his position, the commission found."

John Council writes for Texas Lawyer: "At that time, Hecht jokingly said to Texas Lawyer that he had been acting as a 'PR office for the White House' and had been filling in gaps about Miers' background to the press, countering some conservatives' skepticism about her qualifications -- statements that were referenced in the commission's admonition."

Rove Watch

For the second week in a row, Karl Rove yesterday tried to work his charm on House Republicans -- and failed. Suzanne Gamboa writes for the Associated Press: "Presidential aide Karl Rove hoped to make inroads with House members who consider the Senate legalization provision 'amnesty.' Asked as he departed the Capitol whether he had made progress, he replied, 'Could be.'"

Charles Babington writes in The Washington Post: "He got a cold reception, according to people who attended. In particular, they said, Rep. John Carter (R-Tex.) testily told Rove that he was underestimating Americans' hostility to the notion of 'amnesty' for illegal immigrants, especially if there is not proof that tougher border measures are taking effect. "

Lively Live Online

We had a lively Live Online discussion yesterday.

Among my observations: "What's amazing to me is that the White House's official narrative is that all the carnage we see on TV is what's getting us down on the president.

"But where is that carnage? I don't see it on TV. Sure, I see the occasional bombing-wreckage (ergo, possibly, Bush's focus on those suiciders ) but the day-in-day-out horrors, including the ceaseless killing and mutilating of our troops, the brutal murders of civilians by sectarian death squads, those aren't on TV! Neither, of course, are the returning coffins.

"The American public has gotten severely down on the war and the president in spite of the fact that they are not seeing any visceral images of the cost of war, not because of those images."

Read the full transcript here .