Four More Months?

"He stepped onto the front portico of the White House in the early dusk, jovial and laughing, the first lady at his side. A casual man, bedeviled by the lowest presidential approval ratings in a generation, he appeared, for once, to revel in the pomp and ceremonial trappings of the office."

Another Gaffe?

Here is the transcript of the toasts at the dinner. Bush's was generous. The queen's was sweeping, historic -- even moving.

In between, however, came a classic Bush move. In joint press availabilities with other world leaders, Bush often goes to some length to make it clear who's calling the shots. Last night, he actually told the queen of England when to talk.

"HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II: Thank you very much, indeed.

"PRESIDENT BUSH: Your turn, Your Majesty."

More Than You Want to Know

Available on the White House Web site's royal visit page, the guest list for the dinner, the menu, and much more.

As for the guests, it's no wonder ABC's Robin Roberts was so excited interviewing Laura Bush yesterday. (Here's the video and the transcript.)

"The excitement continues to build . . . And I'm telling you, what a delight. . . . I mean, truly, everyone is buzzing around here," Roberts told Bush.

Roberts was one of four journalists invited to the dinner, the others being David Gregory of NBC; Steve Holland of Reuters, and Richard Wolffe of Newsweek.

Will Bunch blogs for the Philadelphia Daily News: "The kind of people you won't find on a list like this are everyday Americans, plumbers and accountants and bus drivers and secretaries, the folks who pay the taxes and raise the young men and women who are fighting and dying to support the U.S. (and British) gambit in Iraq. Those who do attend these affairs, on the other hand, are the closest that America comes to producing its own royalty.

"That said, why in the name of God are four working journalists among those attending this state dinner -- not as reporters with a notebook or a camera but as guests munching on Dover sole and dancing into the night with America's own brand of dukes and earls? . . .

"Reporters -- whether they work in Washington, D.C. or a small mountain town in Washington State -- ought to be the voice of the kind of people who don't get invited to white-tie affairs, the handymen and school teachers, not the politicians and billionaires."

Wolfowitz Watch

Steven R. Weisman writes in the New York Times: "Leading governments of Europe, mounting a new campaign to push Paul D. Wolfowitz from his job as World Bank president, signaled Monday that they were willing to let the United States choose the bank's next chief, but only if Mr. Wolfowitz stepped down soon, European officials said.

"European officials had previously indicated that they wanted to end the tradition of the United States picking the World Bank leader. But now the officials are hoping to enlist American help in persuading Mr. Wolfowitz to resign voluntarily, rather than be rebuked or ousted. . . .

"European officials did not disclose details of how they were communicating with the Bush administration, but they said the suggestion that Mr. Wolfowitz resign in return for having an American successor was first raised with Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. in mid-April. . . .

"Several European officials said they believed that Mr. Paulson was in favor of Mr. Wolfowitz leaving, but that Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were insisting on standing up for him."

Richard Adams writes in the Guardian: "In a sign that Mr Wolfowitz's authority may be waning, one of his closest lieutenants abruptly announced on Monday that he is to resign. Kevin Kellems, a former spokesman for US vice president Dick Cheney, was hand-picked by Mr Wolfowitz to join him at the bank. . . .

"Mr Kellems was regarded with hostility by some bank staff for his role as Mr Wolfowitz's enforcer. . . .

"The news of Mr Kellems' departure sparked a flurry of celebrations and speculation inside the bank's Washington headquarters. 'That is the sound of a rat leaping off a sinking ship,' said one staff member."

Cheney's Trip

Vice President Cheney leaves today for a weeklong trip to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan -- and who knows where else?

Tom Raum writes for the Associated Press: "Vice President Dick Cheney is reaching out to moderate Arab leaders for help in bringing stability to Iraq, a mission that will include pleas for postwar support for minority party Sunnis. . . .

"But Cheney's influence there is waning, suggested Aaron David Miller, a former State Department adviser on Mideast issues to both Republican and Democratic administrations.

"'No visit by Dick Cheney with 18 months to go in the Bush administration can serve to either supplement or somehow make policies ... any more effective,' said the former career diplomat. 'I spent 25 years going on trips with secretaries of states and presidents, and I'll tell you one thing: One trip doesn't make much of a dent, even if the circumstances weren't as grim as they are.'

"No longer is the United States seen as 'tough, powerful and credible,' said Miller. 'We are perceived to be failing. And, at some point, those leaders out there -- personal relations with Cheney notwithstanding -- are going to begin to make their own plans for the end of the Bush administration.'"

Accompanying Cheney on the trip: His daughter, Liz. A former principal deputy assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, Liz Cheney has been a staunch public defender of her father's policies. But technically speaking, she has no official role at the moment -- or does she?

Exodus

Matthew Lee writes for the Associated Press: "As rancor in the nation rises over handling of the war in Iraq, at least 20 senior aides have either retired or resigned from important posts at the White House, Pentagon and State Department in the past six months."

Poll Watch

Susan Page writes in USA Today: "Americans by nearly 2-1 disapprove of the job President Bush is doing, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. He scores a net disapproval rating in every area of the survey, including the economy and terrorism.

"His lowest ratings -- 30% approval, 67% disapproval -- were for his handling of the situation in Iraq. . . .

"However, Bush hasn't dropped to his lowest ratings ever, as he did in a Newsweek Poll released over the weekend. That survey, taken Wednesday and Thursday, put his approval rating at 28%.

"Bush hit his previous nadir in the Gallup Poll precisely a year ago, at 31% in a survey taken May 5-7, 2006.

"Frank Newport, editor-in-chief of the Gallup Poll, cautioned against comparing one firm's survey to another, noting that Newsweek's polls generally have pegged Bush's job approval lower than other organizations."

There is one record-breaker in the Gallup results, however: "Bush has entered his eighth month below 40% approval -- the longest stretch of such low ratings for any modern president except Harry Truman during the Korean War and Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal."

Matt Towery, writing in Human Events, reports that an InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion poll found that 39 percent of Americans support the impeachment of Bush and Cheney, compared to 55 percent who oppose it.

That's not a majority, certainly, but it's still a lot of people. Towery concludes that "the astounding public sentiment expressed in this poll illustrates just how far Bush and Cheney may have set their party back."

And a new Harris Poll finds that of the 61 percent of Americans who have heard about the trial of former vice presidential chief of staff Scooter Libby, 54 percent think Libby is protecting the vice president; 20 percent think Libby is mainly to blame; 26 percent aren't sure.

Author Watch

Gary Kamiya writes in Salon about Sir Alistair Horne, author of the classic account of the 1954-1962 Algerian War, "A Savage War of Peace." Bush recently read the book and was so impressed that he invited Horne to come to the White House for tea and a talk last Thursday.

"Horne declined to go into details about what they talked about, saying their conversation was off the record. 'He was extremely courteous, very cheerful, loves jokes and he couldn't have been more charming. I was very honored,' Horne said. 'He was very determined. 'We're not going to give up, we're not going to give up,' he repeated from time to time. He was very interested in my book, had obviously read it most thoroughly, as he had my other book, 'The Price of Glory' [about the WWI battle of Verdun]. He had put in a lot of work. Where he finds the time I don't know. We discussed the book in depth. We disagreed about a few points. I didn't entirely agree with his admiration for Tony Blair, but that was a matter of personal predilection.'"

As Kamiya write: "That 'A Savage War of Peace' is on the Bush administration's must-read list is one of the more remarkable intellectual ironies in recent years. Horne's book recounts the inevitable defeat of a colonialist power at the hands of a small but determined group of insurgents, the National Liberation Front, who effectively used terrorism to win their nation's freedom -- not exactly the sort of book you would expect Bush and his inner circle to curl up with. . . .

"Bush officials are looking for clues that will allow them to prevail over a stubborn insurgency, or failing that, find a viable exit strategy. But there do not appear to be many useful lessons in Horne's book for Bush except 'don't.'"

North Korean Humor

Reuters reports: "As military chiefs from both sides of the Korean peninsula met on Tuesday for talks, a general from the North started proceedings by telling a joke at George W. Bush's expense.

"'I recently read a piece of political humour on the Internet called 'saving the president',' Lieutenant-General Kim Yong-chol was quoted as saying in pool reports from the talks.

"He then retold the old yarn about Bush who goes out jogging one morning and, preoccupied with international affairs, fails to notice that a car is heading straight at him.

"A group of schoolchildren pull the president away just in time, saving his life, and a grateful Bush offers them anything they want in the world as a reward.

"'We want a place reserved for us at Arlington Memorial Cemetery,' say the children.

"'Why is that?' he asks.

"'Because our parents will kill us if they find out what we've done.'"

Late Night Humor

Jay Leno, via U.S. News: "The Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth, met with President Bush over the weekend. You know, I thought this was nice of President Bush. Did you hear what he did? He took the time to learn a little bit of English so he could speak with her. . . .

"Anyway, the Queen was welcomed with a 21-gun salute. Well, 22 if you count Cheney's gun that went off accidentally."

Cartoon Watch

Tom Toles on benchmarks.