The White House Plagiarist

James Politi and Andrew Ward write in the Financial Times: "Bush yesterday attacked housing legislation proposed by the Democratic leadership in the Senate, saying it would 'do more to bail out lenders and speculators than to help American families keep their homes'."

Paul Kane writes in The Washington Post: "Democrats mocked Bush's statements at yesterday's news conference, where he urged giving the $168 billion stimulus package approved this month a 'chance to kick in first.'

"'That, to me, is straight out of the Herbert Hoover playbook,' Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters, adding that his bankruptcy measure would save family homes."

Edmund L. Andrews writes in the New York Times that "in presenting what they described as their own proposal to protect homeowners. . . . Republican lawmakers resorted to a grab bag of longstanding Republican initiatives, like making Mr. Bush's tax cuts permanent and reducing 'frivolous litigation,' that had little direct connection to the mortgage mess.

Optimism About Iraq

Bush isn't the only one who thinks things have turned the corner in Iraq.

Amit R. Paley and Joshua Partlow write in The Washington Post: "Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gazed out at a sea of chanting Shiite pilgrims Thursday and offered a brash appraisal of his administration's 21-month tenure.

"'We promised we would bring national reconciliation to the sons of Iraq, and we have succeeded!' Maliki thundered to hundreds of thousands of Shiites gathered at the golden-domed Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala. 'Iraqis are once again loving brothers!'

"Maliki is facing a drumbeat of criticism that his government has achieved little progress as well as constant calls for his ouster, but these days he hardly sounds like a man fighting for his political survival. He acts as if he has the upper hand over his political rivals, brusquely rejecting demands from key allies and making a bold grab for greater control of the federal bureaucracy. . . .

"Maliki's confidence seems untethered to political reality. Predicting when his government will fall has become a parlor game in certain circles in Baghdad. And some of his pronouncements -- like one on Thursday that 'sectarianism has been eliminated' -- have struck Iraqi and American officials as bordering on the delusional. Sectarian killings are still common and political reconciliation remains elusive, a fact underscored by the veto this week of a law calling for nationwide elections, one of the few major pieces of legislation approved by parliament.

"'He's failed at governing,' acknowledged a senior U.S. official in Baghdad, who was granted anonymity so he could speak candidly."

So what's the source of Maliki's confidence?

"The 57-year-old Shiite and former exile feels little cause for concern, according to his aides, because he enjoys the strong backing of the Bush administration, which worries that the chaos triggered by the collapse of Maliki's government would prompt a new wave of sectarian bloodletting across Iraq."

Pakistan Watch

Glenn Kessler's tea-leaf reading in The Washington Post suggests that the administration's support for another embattled leader may finally be slacking off.

But so far, at least, as David Rohde writes in the New York Times: "The Bush administration's continued backing of President Pervez Musharraf, despite the overwhelming rejection of his party by voters this month, is fueling a new level of frustration in Pakistan with the United States.

"That support has rankled the public, politicians and journalists here, inciting deep anger at what is perceived as American meddling and the refusal of Washington to embrace the new, democratically elected government. . . .

"Pakistanis say the Bush administration is grossly misjudging the political mood in Pakistan and squandering an opportunity to win support from the Pakistani public for its fight against terrorism. The opposition parties that won the Feb. 18 parliamentary elections say they are moderate and pro-American. By working with them, analysts say, Washington could gain a vital, new ally. . . .

"Mr. Bush and other administration officials still regard Mr. Musharraf as a significant player and as a force for stability in Pakistan, and one who could regain his standing, said an official involved in the policy deliberations."

And yet, as Rohde points out: "Over the last year, American assessments have repeatedly proven wrong. Before the Feb. 18 elections, a senior American intelligence official predicted in a briefing to journalists that no party would win a clear majority and that Mr. Musharraf would remain the strongest political figure in the country."

E-Mail Watch

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial board writes about all those missing White House e-mails, and concludes: "This behavior, from the administration and the party that backs the Protect America Act and the government's desire to spy and archive our every move or thought expressed, would be screamingly hilarious were it not so galling."

Rove v. Obama

John D. McKinnon writes that Bush's criticism of Obama yesterday offered "glimpses of his campaign role to come."

So, I would maintain, did former White House political strategist Karl Rove's appearance on Fox News on Wednesday. Rove spoke about Obama to Alan Colmes.

Rove: "Look, with all due respect, he is a very left-wing Democrat. He came out of a very radical background in organizing. His record in the Senate is the most liberal, according to the 'National Journal.' He has been a conventional far-left Democrat. And we ought to recognize that. As a result, he has these associations and these people he has been comfortable being with who are not in mainstream America. Look, after 9/11, when he said true patriotism did not consist of wearing a lapel pin - - an American flag lapel pin on your lapel, but instead speaking out on the issues, he was basically, with the back of his hand, being very dismissive to millions of Americans who thought it was a patriotic act to put a flag pin on their lapel."

Colmes: "Does he lack patriotism because he does not wear a lapel pan? Is he basically saying, patriotism isn't about a pin? That is his point of view."

Rove: "Alan, I didn't say that. What he said was that people -- he was implicating that people who did wear a flag on the lapel were not true patriots. My point is not -- in America, you get to decide whether you want to wear a flag lapel pin or not. What he did though was say, it was true patriotism to speak out on the issue, not to wear a flag lapel pen. He was the one questioning the patriotism of people with flags on their lapels."

Colmes: "I didn't get that from what he said. What I got --"

Rove: "Read the statement carefully. He said, true patriotism -- quote, true patriotism consisted of speaking out on the issues, not wearing a flag lapel pin."

Colmes: "He wasn't questioning people who wore it. He was questioning the war."

Rove: "No, he was questioning the patriotism of those who did put a flag on their lapel. Admit it. I'm not questioning his patriotism. But he certainly questioned the patriotism of millions of people who felt the simple gesture of putting the flag on their lapel was a patriotic act, and it was."

Late Night Humor

Via U.S. News, Jay Leno: "See, you know, I don't think President Bush really understands the impact [$4 gas] has on the average American. Like, today, when they told him people would be paying $4 a gallon, he said, 'Why don't folks just buy half a gallon? And then with the money you save, you could buy the other gallon. You see what I'm saying?'"

And Conan O'Brien: "During a press conference today, President Bush said the following. He said it's important we make the economy stronger so 'families can put money on their tables.' Yes, then Bush said that Americans 'should deposit food in their bank accounts.'"

Jon Stewart took note of Bush's frequent podium pounding yesterday: "He's literally having a tantrum," Stewart said. "I think the president's got a little senioritis going. I think this fellah's a week away from yelling 'food fight' in the White House cafeteria."

The Daily Show's "senior White House correspondent" John Oliver, tells Stewart: "President Bush has done good in Africa. I did just say good there, didn't I?"

Stewart: "You did say good."

Oliver: "I kept saying 'bad' in rehearsal. It's force of habit, I suppose."

Stewart: "It's hard for you to accept that the president has done something admirable."

Oliver: "Well, it's just -- what's his angle? He's not running for reelection. There's no ulterior military objective. He's got no chance of becoming King of Africa. What the hell is going on?"

Stewart: "Well, maybe he's just trying to do something good in a difficult part of the world."

Oliver: "No! No! No! That makes it worse. Over the past seven excruciating years, I've come to terms with the president being incompetent. The fact that we now know he's been capable of doing good all along, and has simply chosen not to -- that really burns."

Cartoon Watch

Quite a crop: Tom Toles trashes Bush; Jim Morin drowns him; Jeff Danziger revokes Bush's MBA; M.E. Cohen unfurls Bush's new banner; and Jimmy Margulies introduces the new Bush twins.