Triumphalism Amid the Wreckage

"'It was a different world then,' he said. 'It was a time of relative peace and prosperity, and there were things on the agenda -- the compassionate conservatism agenda -- that we thought would make for a very domestic-focused presidency.'

"'External events intervened, starting with the recount,' McKinnon said."

Herman concludes: "For now, that's the Bushies' story, and they're sticking to it."

And Rove, astonishingly, sees the Valerie Plame case as a vindication: "Rove also blames Washington partisanship for the scandals and subpoenas embedded in the Bush legacy, including leaks involving a clandestine CIA agent's identity.

"He offered himself as an example.

"'You'll notice there was outrage when it was thought that I was the person behind outing Valerie Plame. And then when it came out that it was the sainted (Deputy Secretary of State) Richard Armitage, there was no interest. I don't remember seeing anybody camped out on his doorstep like they were camped out on mine. (It's) because he was part of the acceptable culture of Washington, and I was not. I was one of those Texans who came up. He was one of those perpetual I'll-scratch-your-back-if-you'll-scratch-mine Washington leakers,' Rove vented."

In fact, Rove was involved. And not only did he initially lie about his involvement, but the whole case was a microcosm of much that was wrong with the way the Bush White House did business.

After reading Herman's article, Wayne Slater blogs for the Dallas News: "As governor, George W. Bush focused like a laser on he idea of personal responsibility. It was a tenet in the political messaging that Karl Rove designed in his successful campaigns. Everybody needs to take responsibility for their actions, Bush would say. Now that the president is nearing the end of his tenure, Rove has another message: Bush's failures were everybody else's fault."

Obama Attacks

Anne E. Kornblut writes in The Washington Post: "In a transition that has emphasized continuity and harmony with the outgoing president, there were glimmers of tension yesterday, as Obama not only criticized the administration's efforts on mortgages but also tapped for his Cabinet retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, who had sparred with President Bush's top Pentagon officials over the Iraq war strategy."

Let's start with Shinseki, a walking symbol of Bush's failure to properly plan for the occupation of Iraq.

Hope Yen writes for the Associated Press: "President-elect Barack Obama has chosen retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to be the next Veterans Affairs secretary, turning to a former Army chief of staff once vilified by the Bush administration for questioning its Iraq war strategy. . . .

"Shinseki's tenure as Army chief of staff from 1999 to 2003 was marked by constant tensions with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, which boiled over in 2003 when Shinseki testified to Congress that it might take several hundred thousand U.S. troops to control Iraq after the invasion.

"Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, belittled the estimate as 'wildly off the mark' and the general was marginalized and later retired from the Army. . . .

"Shinseki, 66, is slated to take the helm of the government's second largest agency, which was roundly criticized during the Bush administration for underestimating the amount of funding needed to treat thousands of injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Thousands of veterans currently endure six-month waits for disability benefits, despite promises by current VA Secretary James Peake and his predecessor, Jim Nicholson, to reduce delays. The department also is scrambling to upgrade government technology systems before new legislation providing for millions of dollars in new GI benefits takes effect next August."

In his announcement of the Shinseki nomination, Obama said: "[W]e don't just need to better serve veterans of today's wars. We also need to build a 21st Century VA that will better serve all who have answered our nation's call. That means cutting red tape and easing transition into civilian life. And it means eliminating shortfalls, fully funding VA health care, and providing the benefits our veterans have earned."

As for Shinseki, Obama said: "No one will ever doubt that this former Army Chief of Staff has the courage to stand up for our troops and our veterans. No one will ever question whether he will fight hard enough to make sure they have the support they need."

The White House responded with a "fact sheet" insisting that the Bush administration has "provided unprecedented support for our veterans."

As for Obama's critique of Bush's housing policies, William Douglas writes for McClatchy Newspapers: "Criticizing the White House directly for the first time since November's election, President-Elect Barack Obama Sunday accused President Bush of not doing enough to stem the nation's home foreclosure crisis.

"Obama vowed that it if the Bush administration doesn't take sufficient steps to help reduce foreclosures in its remaining days in office, he would take action shortly after being sworn in as the nation's 44th president on Jan. 20, 2009.

"'I'm disappointed that we have not seen quicker movement on this issue by the administration,' Obama told Tom Brokaw on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'We have said publicly and privately that we want to see a package that helps homeowners, not just because its good for that particular homeowner, it's good for the community.'"

Obama's Big Plan

Peter Baker and John M. Broder write in the New York Times: "President-elect Barack Obama promised Saturday to create the largest public works construction program since the inception of the interstate highway system a half century ago as he seeks to put together a plan to resuscitate the reeling economy.

"With jobs evaporating and the recession deepening, Mr. Obama began highlighting elements of the economic recovery program he is trying to fashion with Congressional leaders in hopes of being able to enact it shortly after being sworn in on Jan. 20. His address on Saturday followed the report on Friday indicating that the country lost 533,000 jobs in November alone, bringing the total number of jobs lost over the past year to nearly 2 million.

"Mr. Obama's remarks showcased his ambition to expand the definition of traditional work programs for the middle class, like infrastructure projects to repair roads and bridges, to include new-era jobs in technology and so-called green jobs that reduce energy use and global warming emissions. 'We need action -- and action now,' Mr. Obama said in an address broadcast Saturday morning on radio and YouTube."

Still Effective

Bush's particular brand of obstinacy means he still sometimes gets his way.

Greg Hitt writes in the Wall Street Journal: "In the standoff between the lame-duck Republican president and an ascendant Democratic speaker of the House, an odd thing happened: The president won.

"The Detroit rescue package being negotiated by congressional leaders is coming together in defiance of the prevailing political winds, representing a rare concession by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and showing that even a weakened president can make an impact at the tail end of his administration.

"For weeks, President George W. Bush stood his ground, demanding that any rescue of the Detroit auto makers be financed by $25 billion in already-approved loans intended to help the industry meet higher fuel-economy standards. Mr. Bush essentially won that argument Friday, when Rep. Pelosi, who had wanted to tap the $700 billion pool created to calm financial markets, backed down.

"A House Democratic leadership aide said the decision to bend on the funding issue reflected 'pragmatism' on the part of the speaker. 'No one was prepared to place at risk the economic security of millions of Americans who work in and are dependent on the auto industry,' the aide said."

Bush's Weekend

Brett Zongker writes for the Associated Press: "Barbra Streisand got an awkward kiss on the cheek from the president, and yes, she gave him a smooch back.

"Streisand, a vocal critic of President George W. Bush, was a guest Sunday at the White House just before one of Washington's few A-list events: the Kennedy Center Honors.

"'Art transcends politics this weekend,' the longtime Democrat said beforehand. Still, she said it would have been 'lovely' if she could have received the award while President-elect Barack Obama was in office."

Ben Feller writes for the Associated Press that Bush "playfully kicked a football and presided over the pre-game coin toss on Saturday as he basked in the pageantry of the annual Army-Navy game, one of the sport's most storied rivalries.

"The crowd at Lincoln Financial Field let out hearty cheers of 'USA, USA' as Bush made his way to midfield for the ceremonial coin toss, which Army won. At about the 30 yard-line he saw a football on tee from the warm-ups, took a few steps and just gave it a boot, almost 15 yards worth. . . .

"Earlier in the day, Bush got a look at how history will remember him -- at least in one artist's view -- as he presided over the unveiling of his portrait at a private club.

"'Welcome to my hanging,' Bush said, drawing laughs from the well-dressed audience in The Union League's ornate hall.

"The portrait shows Bush staring straight ahead, looking comfortable but not quite smiling, against the backdrop of the White House's Treaty Room."

Cartoon Watch

Don Wright on Bush's legacy revisions, Joel Pett on what Bush will miss, Ann Telnaes on Bush's official portrait, Tom Toles on Obama's challenge, and Kevin Kallaugher on the interregnum.