Cheney, By Proxy

Furthermore, "Bush is also bookending his summit stay . . . with calls on the Czech Republic and Poland, former Soviet satellites where Bush wants to base major parts of the new shield.

"It could hardly be seen as anything less than a poke in the eye to Putin."

Warren P. Strobel and Jonathan S. Landay wrote for McClatchy Newspapers last week: "On the eve of next week's G-8 summit meeting, relations between the United States and Russia have ebbed to their lowest level since the Cold War, fueled by Moscow's growing confidence and an apparent Russian perception of U.S. weakness."

And since then, signs have gotten even more ominous. Doug Saunders writes in Toronto's Globe and Mail: "In a threat not uttered since the Cold War, Vladimir Putin said that Russia intends to aim its missile systems - potentially nuclear weapons - at targets in Europe in retaliation for the U.S. decision to establish antimissile bases there."

Immigration Watch

Jim Rutenberg and Carl Hulse write in the New York Times: "President Bush's advocacy of an immigration overhaul and his attacks on critics of the plan are provoking an unusually intense backlash from conservatives who form the bulwark of his remaining support, splintering his base and laying bare divisions within a party whose unity has been the envy of Democrats. . . .

"Postings on conservative Web sites this week have gone so far as to call for Mr. Bush's impeachment, and usually friendly radio hosts, commentators and Congressional allies are warning that he stands to lose supporters -- a potentially damaging development, they say, when he needs all the backing he can get on other vital matters like the war in Iraq. . . .

"Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's top political adviser, said Friday he was confident that the White House would win over its critics as it explained the details of the bill and the administration's continuing efforts to enforce existing border control laws.

"Mr. Rove said he did not think that anger over immigration within the party would affect support for the president on the war and other national security issues. 'People are able to say, "I don't need to agree with anyone 100 percent of the time to be with them on the most important issue facing America," ' he said."

Gary Langer writes for ABC News: "President Bush's immigration reform package has badly damaged his ratings on the issue from his core supporters, with his approval rating for handling immigration plummeting among Republicans and conservatives.

"Fewer than half of Republicans, 45 percent in this ABC News/Washington Post poll, now approve of how Bush is handling immigration, down from 61 percent in April -- that's a 16-point drop in six weeks. . . .

"This marks one of the few times in his presidency Bush has received less than 50 percent approval from members of his own party on any issue in an ABC/Post poll. On handling the Iraq War, for comparison, he's never gone below 62 percent approval from Republicans."

The Albatross

Howard Fineman writes for Newsweek about how Bush is an albatross for Republican candidates in 2008: "[I]t may not be enough to ignore Bush; you may need to attack him to prove your bona fides to the public at large. 'It's not so much that he is an embarrassment, it's that there is an exhaustion,' says Rich Galen, a GOP analyst. . . . 'People are tired of defending him.'

"As an ongoing political enterprise -- a machine with genuine admirers, loyal supporters and a legacy to build on -- the Bush presidency is perilously close to flatlining. . . . Since Bush never cultivated real allies in Congress, no one there feels guilty that he has none now. With his vice president not running, there is no '08 contender trapped in the role of shameless Bush promoter."

Bartlett the Hero

It's hard enough, in a general sense, to understand why a man who oversaw the White House's communications strategy as the president's approval ratings plummeted to the lowest levels in a generation should get such good press after announcing his resignation.

It's even harder to understand the coverage of the departure of White House counselor Dan Bartlett.

Bartlett, according to the media narrative, told Bush things he didn't want to hear and offset the influence of political adviser Karl Rove. Yet there's scant evidence that anyone ever tells Bush things he doesn't want to hear -- or that Rove ever fails to get his way.

Ken Herman writes for Cox News Service: "Bartlett's value to Bush -- as friend, fellow Texan and self-styled 'keeper of the record' of Bush's life -- is beyond measure and possibly irreplaceable, said Towson University Professor Martha Kumar, a presidential expert who has studied the current administration.

"'He is losing a person who he trusted, who he listened to and who has a really important portfolio -- damage control,' Kumar said. 'His leaving reduces the number of people who can tell (Bush) what he may not want to hear.' . . .

"'Dan is somebody who has a very good relationship with the president that allows him to be shockingly and sincerely direct,' Rove said. 'There aren't a lot of those.' . . .

"[White House Chief of Staff Josh] Bolten agreed that Bartlett's 'relationship with the president allows him to speak with more candor and confidence than most people are at least inclined to do.'"

Michael A. Fletcher writes in The Washington Post that Bartlett "has spent virtually his entire career working for Bush, starting in 1993, as Bush prepared for his first gubernatorial campaign in Texas. That relationship has allowed Bartlett to speak candidly with the president and to expand his strategic communications role into that of a policy adviser to the president with a portfolio."

James Gerstenzang writes for the Los Angeles Times: "Those who have worked with him in the West Wing said that Bartlett, especially in recent years, served as something of a counterweight to Rove, often providing alternative views from those of the architect of Bush's political career.

"'Dan stepped into that role,' said Karen P. Hughes, another Texan who came with Bush, serving as his first White House counselor. She also acted as a balance to Rove."

Jim Rutenberg writes in the New York Times: "As Mr. Bush's inner circle shrank through his second term, Mr. Bartlett's stature -- initially questioned by some outside advisers who viewed him as too inexperienced to work at a high level -- increased. Colleagues said he frequently was an effective balance to more combative and aggressive instincts of other advisers like Karl Rove."

MSNBC's Chris Matthews started off his interview of Bartlett by singing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow."

Salon blogger Glenn Greenwald doesn't think much of the slobbering tone of the Bartlett coverage. And on MSNBC, "Bush's Brain" author James Moore had this to say: "[R]emember, this is a president who has sort of surrounded himself with a coterie, I think, of sycophants, people who sing songs that he likes to hear, which is, 'You're great, Mr. President, you're right, Mr. President, and the rest of the world is wrong.'

"I take exception to the notion that Dan was honest and confronted the president when the president was going in the wrong direction. I don't believe that was the relationship."

Torture Watch

Bush says, "We don't torture." But he's never made clear what he means by 'torture.' Meanwhile, according to Laura Blumenfeld in The Washington Post, one American interrogator doesn't share his ambiguity.

"'I tortured people,' said [Tony] Lagouranis, 37, who was a military intelligence specialist in Iraq from January 2004 until January 2005. 'You have to twist your mind up so much to justify doing that.'"

Talking to the Boys

Bob Moen writes for the Casper Star Tribune: "Addressing about 100 wide-eyed Wyoming high school students learning about government and the political process, Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday recalled his early interest in politics and encouraged the youths to enter public service."

Here's the transcript of Cheney's remarks to the Wyoming Boys State Conference.

He took questions, including one about how he gets along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

"How is my relationship with Harry Reid? Well, it's better than my relationship with Pat Leahy," the vice president said, the transcript recording laughter. "But I won't go into that."

It was back in June 2004 that Cheney famously used a particularly harsh obscenity against Leahy, the Democratic Senator from Vermont, on the Senate floor.

Which is worse: that the boys laughed because they didn't know what he was talking about -- or because they did?

Cartoon Watch

Tony Auth, Dwane Powell, John Sherffius and Rex Babin on Bush's climate-change proposal; Tom Toles on the hazards of impeachment.