Giving Thanks Inside the Bubble

And on his blog, Cox News's Herman Web-posts Townsend's hand-written resignation letter to Bush, which includes this passage:

"In 1937, the playwright Maxwell Anderson wrote of President George Washington: There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, til all men walk on higher ground in their lifetime.

"Mr. President, you are such a man."

Harpers blogger Scott Horton writes: "George Washington served his nation in uniform in two conflicts and was viewed as the obvious candidate to bring the country together and avoid nascent partisanship shortly after the Constitution was adopted. Whatever criticisms may be mounted as to the particulars of his stewardship, he met these expectations: he was a uniter, with a prudential vision, keen to the limitations inherent in the force of arms and determined to avoid foreign entanglements which would undermine the peace and prosperity of his nation.

"George Washington believed that America's credo required that prisoners taken in time of war be treated with dignity and respect. He forbade torture and other acts of abuse. He required that the religious convictions of the prisoners be respected. 'Treat them with humanity, and let them have no reason to complain of our copying the brutal example of the British Army in their treatment of our unfortunate brethren who have fallen into their hands,' he wrote in a famous order on January 8, 1777.

"George Washington succeeded against all odds, and his success was bolstered by a brave decision to fight the war in a way that reflected the values of a new republic, which put the dignity of the ordinary man first, repudiating the cruelty associated with tyrannical regimes. In this way Washington stood for a great nobility of spirit. As Maxwell Anderson wrote, he did lift the age he inhabited."

Hot McClellan Sneak Peek

The publisher of former White House press secretary Scott McClellan's upcoming book has caused a stir with a short sneak peek excerpt in which McClellan appears to implicate Bush and Vice President Cheney in a campaign to mislead the public about the leak of Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA agent.

Back in 2003, McClellan repeatedly denied that Rove and White House aide Scooter Libby were involved in the leak. After leaving the White House, McClellan stated publicly that he had been misled, yet offered no details.

Both Rove and Libby were of course involved, and Libby was eventually convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice for his denials.

But one of the enduring mysteries of the case is whether Cheney and Bush knew that the public was being lied to. It's hard to imagine they didn't know. But here, finally, is a hint of hard evidence to come.

Writes McClellan: "The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.

"There was one problem. It was not true.

"I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the president himself."

The Happy President

US News reports that Bush advisers say "that President Bush's spirits are getting a lift because of his new focus on unilateral actions to circumvent Congress. He is described by these advisers as delighted that he can move beyond butting heads with Democratic leaders and can get things done through executive orders and administrative actions.

"'He is always "up" but he's been in a very good mood lately,' says a senior White House official. 'He likes the feel of things right now.' At a meeting last week to discuss his use of unilateral actions to get around Congress, he said happily, 'This is the kind of thing we should be doing' -- a particular reference to his moves to reduce aviation congestion over Thanksgiving. He feels it's important to address such 'kitchen table' issues that affect Americans in their daily lives, rather than get bogged down with endless battles with Congress, an aide said. More broadly, Bush is also encouraged by what he considers positive developments in Iraq, especially the recent reduction in the level of violence. And he thinks that Democrats are in such disarray on Capitol Hill, over Iraq policy and other issues, that they appear unable to govern effectively -- an impression that he thinks will turn voters against them in next year's elections."

Middle East Conference Watch

David Wood writes in the Baltimore Sun: "A White House-sponsored conference on Middle East peace is to be held in Annapolis next Tuesday, with senior representatives from Arab and European capitals expected to attend in support of Israeli and Palestinian leaders, a U.S. official familiar with planning for the event said yesterday. . . .

"The tentative schedule calls for a dinner at the State Department on Monday evening with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as host, followed Tuesday by sessions at the U.S. Naval Academy, where Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other diplomats will make presentations.

"A White House ceremony is expected to be held Wednesday morning, the official said."

Anne Gearan writes for the Associated Press about the event's host: "The rock star diplomat has become the workaday American secretary of state, with all the advantages and all the baggage that the title and Rice's long association with President Bush and the Iraq war entail."

Pakistan Watch

The Washington Post editorial board writes: "Like many autocrats before him, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has confused his own fortunes with those of his country. Over the weekend he told a visiting U.S. envoy that only he could save Pakistan from terrorism and lead it toward democracy. In fact, the opposite is true: It is increasingly clear that Gen. Musharraf has become the foremost obstacle to ending Pakistan's state of emergency and revitalizing what has been a losing battle against Islamic extremists. The Bush administration, which has been trying to rescue Gen. Musharraf, needs to accept that Pakistan's rescue can begin only with his departure."

Iran Watch

Gerald F. Seib writes in the Wall Street Journal: "A series of conversations with top Bush administration officials in the past few weeks suggests the strategy now being employed is different, and more subtle, than the one that preceded the war in Iraq. That hardly means an attack isn't possible, but it suggests today's approach has different purposes and goals.

"At the moment, there is no discernible appetite for a military strike among either top civilian or military leaders at the Pentagon. On the other hand, there is greater support elsewhere, including among Vice President Dick Cheney's advisers at the White House, for considering the military option.

"At the State Department, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice likes keeping the military option on the table because that gives some urgency to American diplomatic efforts to shut down Iran's nuclear program.

"But the most important action isn't in this simmering internal debate. The action to watch is financial and diplomatic."

Signing Statements Watch

Charlie Savage and James W. Pindell write in the Boston Globe: "Republican presidential candidate John McCain denounced yesterday President Bush's use of 'signing statements' to reserve the right to violate certain laws, and he vowed to abandon the practice if he becomes president."

Federal Government Incompetence Watch

AFP reports: US contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan more than doubled from 2004 to 2006 to over 25 billion dollars but government oversight of the firms involved has slackened, a watchdog group said Monday.

'While the billions of dollars involved and the complexity of these war-related contracts has only grown, the lack of oversight has been staggering,' said Bill Buzenberg, head of the Center for Public Integrity.

The study by the independent center said government outsourcing for the two war theaters was marred by issues such as a lack of competitive bidding, missing contracts and unidentified companies.

The Turkey Pardon

Bush's pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey (two, actually, including the back-up) went off without a hitch this morning. From transcript: "I also thank everybody who voted online to choose the names for our guests of honor. And I'm pleased to announce the winning names. They are 'May' and 'Flower.' They're certainly better than the names the Vice President suggested, which was 'Lunch' and 'Dinner.'"

Online Video Watch

23/6 brings you "The World Through Bush-Colored Glasses."

Cartoon Watch

Tom Toles on Bush's strongman envy.

Froomkin Watch

I'll be off for the next three days. The column will resume on Monday, Nov. 26. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!