President on a Mission

Bush may indeed need something, but a gullible press corps shouldn't let itself be played for chumps.

If White House spokesmen are actually expecting anyone to believe that Bush has read 50 books this year -- if this is actually part of a PR offensive -- then it's incumbent on them to prove it. Does anyone seriously believe Bush has done more than riffle the pages, if that?

(Although it does give credence to the theory that the reason Bush recently -- allegedly -- read Albert Camus's "The Stranger" was because it's short.)

Renouncing the President

Peter Baker writes in The Washington Post that Bush can no longer rely on "once-friendly voices in the conservative media to stand by his side, as some columnists and television commentators lose faith in his leadership and lose heart in the war in Iraq. . . .

"Bush aides were bothered by a George F. Will column last week mocking neoconservative desires to transform the Middle East. . . .

"The White House responded with a 2,432-word rebuttal -- three times as long as the column -- e-mailed to supporters and journalists."

But nothing may have been as upsetting to the White House as conservative MSNBC host Joe Scarborough's 10-minute segment last week called "IS BUSH AN 'IDIOT'?" Here's the video .

Writes Baker: "In a later telephone interview, Scarborough said he aired the segment because he kept hearing even fellow Republicans questioning Bush's capacity and leadership, particularly in Iraq. Like others, he said, he supported the war but now thinks it is time to find a way to get out. 'A lot of conservatives are saying, "Enough's enough," ' he said. Asked about the reaction to his program, he said, 'The White House is not happy about it.' "

Rove Watch

Susan Page, David Jackson and Richard Benedetto profile Karl Rove in USA Today: "Some Republicans see him as their best hope for heading off disaster in November. . . .

"At stake is more than Rove's reputation as a canny tactician. A Democratic takeover of the House or Senate would not only jeopardize President Bush's ability to pass legislation but also enable Democrats to launch the sort of inquiries and subpoenas that Republicans used to bedevil the Clinton White House. Losing control of Congress would undercut Rove's vision of building a durable Republican majority. . . .

"While Rove doesn't advise Republican candidates to distance themselves from Bush -- quite the opposite -- he does sometimes urge them to change the subject, to concentrate on attacking the vulnerabilities of the Democratic candidate who is on the ballot rather than on defending the president."

The authors also note: "Remarkably, Rove has become one of the GOP's leading fundraisers -- far eclipsing any previous White House staffer in that role. In the past 18 months, according to Republican Party records, he has headlined at least 70 fundraising events and raised $9.66 million."

W. Gardner Selby reports in the Austin American-Statesman on Rove's fundraiser in the Texas capital over the weekend: "After protesters allied with anti-war demonstrator Cindy Sheehan rushed the ballroom doors and scuffled with police, senior White House adviser Karl Rove roused Republicans Saturday in Austin by suggesting that a strong economy and President Bush's course abroad will lead GOP candidates to November wins.

"Saying Democrats are pro-taxation, pro-spending and wrongly committed to cutting and running from Iraq, the chief White House political adviser said: 'We are right, and they are wrong.'

"One protester managed to slip inside the event, which attracted more than 300 guests and raised an estimated $250,000 for the Associated Republicans of Texas.

"Shouting objections, including 'men and women are dying,' the woman was escorted from the ballroom of the Renaissance Austin Hotel.

"Laughter came after Rove said: 'I don't question the patriotism of our critics. Many are hard-working public servants who are doing the best they can. Some of them are people looking for a free meal.'

"Rove also posed an unanswered query to Pat Robbins, the GOP group's executive director: 'Pat, did you get her check before she left?' "

Cheney Watch

Mark Silva blogged for the Chicago Tribune on Saturday: "Don't expect to hear much out of Vice President Dick Cheney's private fundraiser for Sen. John McCain of Arizona today at a private residence near the vice president's home in Jackson, Wyo. It's a closed-door affair, like another fundraiser where Cheney will appear next week in Cincinnati.

"But do expect to hear plenty from the vice president on Aug. 28, when he addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Reno, and the next day, when he hosts a 'rally with the troops' at Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base -- the home of the U.S. Strategic Command, and the place where President Bush paused after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, before returning to Washington, D.C., that evening. And do expect to hear plenty about the war on terror. Cheney -- who already logged 85 appearances for candidates and his party for the '06 election cycle before today's event -- is making the war a mainstay of his campaign for Republicans as strong on national defense, against anti-war Democrats, whom Cheney accuses of 'defeatism.' "

Blair Watch

Simon Walters writes in the Daily Mail: "The alliance between George Bush and Tony Blair is in danger after it was revealed that the Prime Minister believes the President has 'let him down badly' over the Middle East crisis.

"A senior Downing Street source said that, privately, Mr Blair broadly agrees with John Prescott, who said Mr Bush's record on the issue was 'crap'. . . .

" 'We have been banging on at them for three years about the need to address the Palestinian problem but they just won't engage,' said a senior Government insider. 'That is one of the reasons there is such a mess now.' "

The Times of London also notes Blair's frustration, but Greg Hurst writes that Blair "has won the agreement of President Bush for another push to revive the Middle East peace process, despite widespread dismay at America's reluctance to follow through past initiatives.

"The Prime Minister, who returns from holiday this week, plans to make the quest for a viable Palestinian state a priority for his remaining period in office and is ready to act as an international progress chaser if talks can be resumed."

Katrina Anniversary

Christopher Lee and Anushka Asthana write in The Washington Post: "Nearly one year after Hurricane Katrina punched into the Gulf Coast, much damage remains, both in the shattered homes that litter parts of New Orleans and in the battered reputation of government institutions, a new survey shows. . . .

"Although President Bush pledged on Sept. 15 in a nationally televised address from Jackson Square to rebuild New Orleans, 70 percent of those surveyed said most individuals still have not gotten the help they need with housing, health care and restoring their lives. Fifty-six percent said the federal government has not done enough to help state and local governments restore services in the affected areas and 30 percent said it has."

Matt Crenson writes for the Associated Press: "Nearly half of New Orleans was still under water when President Bush stood in the Crescent City's historic Jackson Square and swore he would 'do what it takes' to rebuild the communities and lives that had been laid to waste two weeks before by Hurricane Katrina.

" 'Our goal is to get the work done quickly,' the president said.

"He promised to spend federal money wisely and accountably. And he vowed to address the poverty exposed by the government's inadequate Katrina response 'with bold action.'

"A year after the storm, the federal government has proven slow and unreliable in keeping the president's promises.

" 'This is not something that is going to be able to be accomplished in 365 days,' White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. 'The president has set the federal government on the course to fulfill its obligations.'"

Bush himself echoed that position this morning: "I went to New Orleans, in Jackson Square, and made a commitment that we would help the people there recover. I also want the people down there to understand that it's going to take a while to recover."

Kristin Jensen writes for Bloomberg: "Bush said last month the U.S. government has committed more than $110 billion to the recovery of the Gulf Coast, declaring 'we've got a plan' for the hurricane-battered region.

"Almost a year after Hurricane Katrina struck, progress on that plan is hard to discern in New Orleans."

Filmmaker Spike Lee was on CNN this morning, promoting his movie, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts .

"The person who is responsible for all this is Bush, and [Secretary of Homeland Defense Michael] Chertoff," Lee said. Lee apparently shows plenty of clips of the president.

"I mean, it's funny. I don't have -- that's why we didn't have to put any narration in because we just let people hang themselves," Lee said.

Stepping in Macaca

Ken Herman blogged on Friday for Cox News Service about Bush's upcoming fundraiser for Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), "who has spent much of this week apologizing for a racially insensitive comment caught on camera by his opponent's campaign. . . .

"Bush will be the star attraction . . . Wednesday at an Allen event at the Alexandria, Virginia home of Ed Gillespie, former Republican National Committee chairman."

Deliverance!

Robert Yoon reports for CNN: "By granting absolution to a convicted moonshiner, George W. Bush also earned the unique distinction of becoming the first president to pardon a cast member of the 1972 Academy Award-nominated movie 'Deliverance.' "

Cartoon Humor

Stuart Carlson on hereditary kings; Jeff Danziger on the Commander-in-Something; Mike Luckovich on Katrina; Nick Anderson on the middle ground; Tony Auth on the White Palace.