An alleged controversial comment from President Bush's brain, Karl Rove, to a Republican women's group is up on right-leaning The Corner where it's getting chewed over. (Note the reference to Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback.) The National Journal has already picked it up.
The quote?
"I don't want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas," Rove reportedly said in explaining why President Bush wants a guest worker program.
Posted by DeAnn Smith
First lady Laura Bush is so seldom the subject of gossip so you might remember back in 2005 the culinary hubub that arose when she sacked White House chef Walter Scheib.
Bush's friends sniffed that Scheib refused to stop making dishes hated by the president (apparently scallops are to him what broccoli was to his father). Scheib fired back that the first lady wanted to put her own stamp on the White House kitchen and couldn't do that with a chef hired by Hillary Clinton.
Scheib's supporters whispered that the real reason arose from tension created when the Bushes demanded that the French-trained Scheib scrap all French recipes and techniques when France refused to support the Iraq invasion.
Needless to say, liberal blogs are howling with laughter at the announcement that William "Bill" Yossess is the new pastry chef at the White House. Yossess is French trained (guess that's OK now that virtually everyone is against the Iraq war), but he's also the author of a book not mentioned in the news release: Desserts for Dummies.
Posted by DeAnn Smith
Here's the pool report on Bush's visit to Lee's Summit.
UPDATE: "REMARKS" BY THE PRESIDENT IN ROUNDTABLE ON HEALTH CARE INITIATIVES," as supplied by the White House
Posted by Matt Stearns
Air Force One was wheels-up (presidential geeky talk for take-off) at 1:47 p.m., 27 minutes behind schedule.
Posted (from the ground looking up) by Steve Kraske.
That lovely Kansas City suburb with its top rated schools, burgeoning subdivisions, nice parks, new hospital, big-box stores and chain restaurants that so many area folks want to live in?
So seldom does it get any negative publicity (Money magazine rates it highly). Then along comes a presidential visit and egads!
The leftist group, Americans United for Change, which was started to derail Bush's Social Security efforts, has issued a news release chiding Bush for pushing his health-insurance proposal in Lee's Summit. What's wrong with Lee's Summit you ask?
"....the president instead is going to peddle his health-care plan for the rich in Lee's Summit, Missouri, one of the most affluent communities in the country."
The news release goes on to cite federal Census statistics that Mayor Karen Messerli normally would brag about. (The release says 95 percent of the city's adults at least are a high school graduate and the median home value is $170,800, which is obviously an outdated figure, cause can't imagine that now). Shhh...nobody tell Legoland!
Posted by DeAnn Smith
President Bush is 90 minutes away from addressing the nation and reaction to his State of the Union address is already flooding the inboxes of reporters.
The conservative Family Research Council offers to provide to reporters "the 'right' reaction" to the speech. Former Louisiana Rep. Tony Perkins pens an open letter to Bush today on how he can rescue his "endangered legacy."
George Miller, chairman of the U.S. House's education committee, says Bush faces difficulties with the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act without substantial budget increases. And Miller in his statement throws down the gauntlet on Bush again proposing private school vouchers.
"It didn't pass muster when the Republicans controlled the Congress, and it certainly won't pass muster now that Democrats do," Miller said.
Posted by DeAnn Smith
Can't wait until tonight for the president's speechifying? The speech itself isn't out yet, but the White House is posting its fact sheets (at least the facts as it sees them) online.
Look here for Bush's points on energy.
Click here to read the White House take on health care.
This is the spot to get the president's discussion of the No Child Left Behind Act.
This is the link for immigration.
Want to read what the president says about the global effort on HIV/AIDS?
Or malaria?
Here he is on the strength of the military.
Finally, your chief executive on spending and taxes.
At least we now know where President Bush is headed when he visits KC on Thursday:
St. Luke's East in Lee's Summit, the White House is saying this weekend. The event is to begin at 11:55 a.m.
His focus will be health care, a topic he's expected to discuss in his State of the Union message Tuesday.
Posted by Steve Kraske
Former U.S. Attorney Todd Graves said today he wanted to make certain KC Buzz Blog readers know he is delighted with the selection of John Wood as his replacement. He said his mind was elsewhere when asked yesterday about Wood's appointment, but that in no way should reflect on the nomination by President Bush. He said he believes Wood deserves effusive praise.
"He has had a stellar career. He has had very important positions in D.C. He has clerked for a Supreme Court judge," Graves said. "The guy graduated magna cum laude from Harvard law school and nobody gives that to you."
Graves said he wishes Wood well and wants to help him however he can.
"I am thrilled they are going to get political leadership back in that job," he said, adding that will provide important long-term strategic direction for the 120 employees in the office.
Posted by DeAnn Smith
Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times files an analysis of President Bush's speech tonight:
By stepping up the American military presence in Iraq, President Bush is not only inviting an epic clash with the Democrats who run Capitol Hill. He is ignoring the results of the November elections, rejecting the central thrust of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group and flouting the advice of some of his own generals, as well as Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq.
In so doing, Mr. Bush is taking a calculated gamble that, no matter how much hue and cry his new strategy may provoke, in the end the American people will give him more time to turn around the war in Iraq, and Congress will not have the political nerve to thwart him by cutting off money for the war.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski
It's spin, but it's raw spin. If you want to read the White House's latest Iraq fact sheet, sent out a few hours before the president's speech, click here (warning, it's a PDF file).
It starts with six goals:
"1. Let the Iraqis lead
"2. Help Iraqis protect the population
"3. Isolate Extremists
"4. Create space for political progress
"5. Diversify political and economic efforts; and
"6. Situate the strategy in a regional approach."
The document gives a preview to talking points coming to a cable news show near you.
Posted by Scott Canon
CNN reports that President Bush was upset after viewing the unauthorized video of Saddam Hussein's execution and compared his feelings to the emotions he felt after seeing the photographs of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, White House officials said today.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski
President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq in August: 36 percent approved, 61 percent disapproved.
That's according to Gallup.
Those numbers today: 26-72.
Posted by Steve Kraske
The inbox is getting flooded today with statements and events related to the five-year anniversary of President Bush signing the No Child Left Behind Act that was intended to overhaul the nation's public education system. What say you about the law and its implementation and its upcoming reauthorization?
Posted by DeAnn Smith
It's bad enough that President Bush no longer has a majority of the public to back him up on the war in Iraq. Now he can't even count on the troops.
The latest poll by the Military Times newspapers reveals that barely a third of the military personnel surveyed back Bush's handling of the war. Most have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan at least once. Forty-two percent said they disapproved.
Only half of the troops believe the U.S. will be successful. In 2004, 83 percent thought so. Just 41 percent said the the war was a good idea. In 2003, that number was 65 percent.
Meanwhile, only one in 10 of the troops surveyed considered themselves politically "liberal."
Posted by David Goldstein
Who is going to be the next Johnson County or Jackson County prosecutor is so yesterday's news. The legal community now is buzzing about who will get the really plum gig: a federal judgeship.
KC Buzz Blog heard through the grapevine that Federal Judge Dean Whipple had taken senior status and was trying to confirm it. And lo and behold having lunch today at see-and-be-seen Pierpont's was KC NAACP President Anita Russell and U.S. District Judge Fernando Gaitan Jr.
And Gaitan kindly confirmed that, yes, Whipple's last "full-time" day is April 30 and that he will no longer be chief judge as of Jan. 22. What Gaitan modestly did not mention is that he will be the next chief judge.
Taking senior status is not the same as retiring. Whipple will still have an office and staff. He can keep any existing cases that he chooses, but will have more say over which new cases he takes. There are already two senior judges and both carry heavy caseloads.
Whipple is best known as the final judge in the 26-year, $2 billion Kansas City School District desegregation case. He often railed about patronage and micromanagement in the district and when he ended the case he said the district had a long ways to go before becoming a public school system that KC residents could be proud of. He also oversaw the Kansas City Housing Authority case and often provided wry and punchy quotes from the bench in a variety of cases.
Whipple came to the bench in 1987 through an appointment by President Ronald Reagan. He had served 13 years as a state court judge in the Lake of the Ozarks area. He had previously served as a county prosecutor.
Colleague Dan Margolies says Whipple obtained a reputation as a "hanging judge" while on the state court bench, which Whipple confirmed in one of his earliest cases. In December 1988, he sentenced a real estate developer to 10 years in prison for bank fraud charges. In handing down the sentence, Whipple said he wanted to "send a message" to white-collar criminals, says Margolies who covered the sentencing.
Politicos and attorneys are also curious to see how partisan of a replacement appointment does President Bush make with the Senate now controlled by Democrats. But several attorneys and politicos said today that Sen. Kit Bond, a Missouri Republican, is good about making sure the president nominates a well-qualified candidate.
Of course, incoming Sen. Claire McCaskill can have her say and put a hold on anyone she objects to (remember Ronnie White?). Which brings to mind an election-eve comment from Bond about how important a Jim Talent win was to him: "I've tried it with my vote being canceled on every important issue I've worked on."
Look for a story from reporter Mark Morris in Thursday's Star about Whipple.
Posted by DeAnn Smith
This just up on The New York Times web site:
Two days before he resigned as defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld submitted a classified memo to the White House that acknowledged that the Bush administration’s strategy in Iraq was not working and called for a major course correction.
“In my view it is time for a major adjustment,” wrote Mr. Rumsfeld, who has been a symbol of a dogged stay-the-course policy. “Clearly, what U.S. forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough.”
Nor did Mr. Rumsfeld seem confident that the administration would readily develop an effective alternative. To limit the political fallout from shifting course he suggested the administration consider a campaign to lower public expectations.
Here's the rest of the story. And a copy of the memo.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski
Extreme Mortman discovers that the turkey President Bush pardoned, being from southwest MO, was one well-connected bird: "Who says having GOP credentials doesn’t help anymore in DC?"
Posted by Keith Chrostowski
Turns out that 
the turkey President Bush spared today -- named Flyer in an online vote -- was from Missouri.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski
In Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, former President George H.W. Bush took on Arab critics of his son Tuesday during a testy exchange. "My son is an honest man," Bush said
A college student told Bush his belief that U.S. wars were aimed at opening markets for American companies and said globalization was contrived for America's benefit at the expense of the rest of the world. Bush was having none of it: "I think that's weird and it's nuts. To suggest that everything we do is because we're hungry for money, I think that's crazy. I think you need to go back to school."
More: "This son is not going to back away," Bush said, his voice quivering. "He's not going to change his view because some poll says this or some poll says that.... You can't be president of the United States and conduct yourself if you're going to cut and run. This is going to work out in Iraq. I understand the anxiety. It's not easy."
Posted by Keith Chrostowski
Missouri’s Republican faithful got revved up by the biggest dog in the pound this morning: President Bush.
Appearing for Sen. Jim Talent in Springfield – a second rally later was set for Joplin – Bush bounded onstage to the strains of “Eye of the Tiger,” the theme to "Rocky III" (Umm, wait. Doesn’t Rocky lose in that one? Not saying. Just asking.)
The dress: Campaign casual. Bush wore a blue open-collar shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Talent, ever the law-school gunner, kept his sleeves buttoned.
The message: Raw red meat, from taxes to terror to Iraq.
“We will stay in Iraq…We will fight in Iraq…We will win in Iraq,” Bush told the crowd.
More in tomorrow’s Star.
UPDATE: Here's a transcript of the event.
Posted by Matt Stearns
David Frese on The Star's Back to Rockville blog calls attention to a new political documentary. Well, sorta political.
The documentary, in limited release, focuses on reaction to the comment by Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines that the Chicks were ashamed President Bush hailed from their home state, Texas.
Frese says it's getting good reviews and posts a link to the trailer.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski
The final New York Times/CBS News poll before the midterms finds that a substantial majority of Americans expect Democrats to reduce or end American military involvement in Iraq if they seize control of Congress next Tuesday. Respondents also say Republicans would maintain — or increase — troop levels to try to win the war.
The poll found that just 29 percent of Americans approve of the way President Bush is managing the war in Iraq, matching the lowest mark of his presidency. Nearly 70 percent of Americans said Bush did not have a plan to end the war, and 80 percent said Mr. Bush’s latest offensive to rally public support for the conflict amounted to a change in language but not policy.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski
ST. LOUIS | An upbeat President Bush gave a glowing assessment of America's energy future today, saying the country stands at the dawn of a new era of independence from foreign oil.
New technologies in alternative fuels, such as hydrogen and ethanol, give America a unique twin opportunity, the president said. The country can wean itself from Middle Eastern oil while at the same time protecting the environment.
"It's not a zero-sum game anymore," he told hundreds of attendees at the "Advancing Renewable Energy" conference here sponsored by the Departments of Energy and Agriculture.
Looking out at the crowd as he began, Bush said he saw a sea of pioneers -- "people who are on the leading edge of change." The federal government is attempting to give the new-energy wave a boost through research and grants.
He said he worries that the recent drop in gas prices could make the country complacent again about the need for new energy sources. But the president pledged that he won't grow lax.
"It won't dim my enthusiasm for making sure we diversify away from oil," he said. In a line that echoed one from his State of the Union speech in January, Bush said, "Let me put it bluntly: We're too dependent on oil."
His speech was interrupted mid-way by a woman who stood and chanted, "Out of Iraq now." Security personnel converged on her and led her away as Bush continued talking.
Also visiting St. Louis today is first lady Laura Bush who is to attend a tree-panting ceremony, headline a fund-raiser for U.S. Sen. Jim Talent and visit the Arch lit pink this month for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The first lady was not expected to see her husband during her stay.
More in Friday's Star.
Posted by Steve Kraske
"Very hot. Very hot."
So says book seller Vivien Jennings of Rainy Day Books in Fairway about the new Bob Woodward book, State of Denial.
At Rainy Day, two dozen copies of the book had flown off the shelves by 4 p.m. today. Jennings said the store had the publisher's permission to begin selling Saturday, earlier than what had been planned, because of all the publicity.
But Rainy Day's supply hadn't arrived.
"Having the story on the front page of the paper obviously was a pretty big deal," Jennings said about news stories on the book. Not many political books get that much coverage, she added.
"It's like people are waking up, and they're saying, `What is going on?'"
Posted by Steve Kraske
Was she just priming the pump for Democrats in November?
Or ginning up publicity for her new book?
Or just laying it on the line?
"Iraq will do down as the greatest disaster in American foreign policy," former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Wednesday night at KU.
That's what they call prime red meat.
Your comments, please.
Posted by Steve Kraske
Click here for a link to parts of the declassified National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq and al-Qaida.
Posted by Dave Helling
President Bush on Tuesday said it is naive and a mistake to think that the war with Iraq has worsened terrorism, disputing a national intelligence assessment by his own administration. He said he was declassifying part of the report. "Some people have guessed what's in the report and concluded that going into Iraq was a mistake. I strongly disagree," Bush said. He asserted that portions of the classified report that had been leaked were done so for political purposes, referring to the Nov. 7 midterm elections. Here's the complete AP story.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski
After years of not talking about the Valerie Plame case, Robert Novak now has more and more to say -- most recently about Richard Armitage.
Here's the column but the short version is Armitage is a disingenious deceiver who caused intense pain for members of his party, sayeth the old Crossfire sage who also is ticked at Democrats' handling of the issue.
Novak now says Armitage sought him out, in fact for the first time ever.
"During his quarter of a century in Washington, I had no contact with Armitage before our fateful interview. I tried to see him in the first 2 years of the Bush administration, but he rebuffed me — summarily and with disdain, I thought."
That might seem to run counter to what Novak wrote in in October 2003: "First, I did not receive a planned leak." In that same 2003 column he wrote, "It was an offhand revelation from this official, who is no partisan gunslinger. When I called another official for confirmation, he said: "Oh, you know about it."
The other official, as we know, was Karl Rove, who Novak doesn't discuss in this latest column other than to say he was wronged. Rove was cleared by a special prosecutor in the case.
Posted by DeAnn Smith
The latest ABC News poll shows a bump in President Bush's job approval ratings.
The latest read has him at 42 percent approve and 55 percent disapprove. The low point came in mid-May when the numbers were 33-65.
Bush's marks for his handling of Iraq also are up: 41 percent approve, 57 percent disapprove, up from 36-62 in early August.
Posted by Steve Kraske
President Bush finally addressed the NAACP Annual Meeting in Washington today, after five years of busting tradition by not doing so (POTUS was apparently peeved that NAACP leaders criticized his policies).
By all accounts, Bush won a polite, if not raucous, reception. He go
t 20 seconds of applause upon arrival and two standing O's: One for vowing to sign the Voting Righst Act reauthorization; the other at the end of his 35-minute speech. (At right, NAACP President Bruce Gordon introduces Bush.)
Bush vowed to rebuild the rupture between the GOP and African Americans: "I consider it a tragedy that the party of Abraham Lincoln let go of its historic ties with the African American community. For too long my party wrote off the African American vote, and many African Americans wrote off the Republican Party. That history has prevented us from working together when we agree on great goals. That's not good for our country...I want to change the relationship."
Bush cited education, faith-based initiatives and fighting HIV/AIDS as areas of common ground.
No word on whether he'll be back next year.
Posted by Matt Stearns
President Bush will headline a St. Louis fund-raiser for Sen. Jim Talent next Wednesday. This will be the third time in a year that he's helped the Missouri Republican raise bucks to fight off Democrat Claire McCaskill. Given Bush's repeated efforts for Talent in 2002 when he won the seat by besting former Democratic Sen. Jean Carnahan, it's a safe bet he'll be back. Again and Again.
Posted by David Goldstein
Former White House Chief of Staff Andy Card came a long way: All the way from the flagpole at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
Speaking at the academy’s commencement Monday morning in Kings Point, N.Y., President Bush won laughs with the following story:
"This morning, I flew here on Air Force One with my friend, Andy Card. You might remember Andy -- he was my former chief of staff, and he attended this Academy in the 1960s. (Applause.) It just so happens when he was a plebe, he was stuffed in a duffel bag and run up the flagpole. (Laughter.) I know he appreciates the much warmer welcome he received here today. (Laughter.)"
Just a little good, clean, Merchant Marine Academy fun! Still, KC Buzz Blog wonders what Card did – or didn’t do – to deserve that. Bush offered no explanation.
Posted by Matt Stearns 11:15 a.m.
Kelsey Grammer of "Frasier" and the latest X-Men movie (photo) comes on pretty strong for President Bush in this Daily News piece. Sounds like Grammer, a GOPer who says he may run for office someday, is polishing the apple for conservatives. From the item (when you call up the link, scroll down a little):
"When mistakes are made [as they surely will be in war], they must be addressed, corrected and condemned without equivocation. Successes, however, must also be acknowledged, and brought to light with the same fervor. I believe that George Bush has taken a valiant stance in a dangerous time for this country."
As for this dangerous time, "I also believe that our enemy is resolute - that we must match his resolve or lose. The rhetoric of our President is not sexy or upbeat; it is simple, direct and accurate. Giving up is not an option."
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 11:15 a.m.
How about a caption contest for this Bush-Blair photo from their press conference Thursday? Leave your proposed caption as a comment below and KC Buzz Blog will pick a winner next week. (Sorry, no prizes except for that winning feeling.)
To see a bigger image of the photo (or to see both men) and get a better look at their expressions, click on the photo and it should come up full size.
An e-mail from D.M. Giangreco, a military historian at Fort Leavenworth, over President Bush's use of the term "suiciders," which was questioned in The Star's Buzz column this morning:
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 12 p.m.
President Bush stepped into the Justice Department's constitutional confrontation with Congress on Thursday and ordered that documents seized in an FBI raid on a congressman's office be sealed for 45 days. The president directed that no one involved in the investigation have access to the documents taken last weekend from the office of Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., and that they remain in the custody of the solicitor general. Rest of story here.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 3:30 p.m.
"Sopranos" boss James Gandolfini offers President Bush some advice on Iraq: He should “reinstate the draft, send 500,000 troops and finish it.”
“I’d go,” he told a source for The Hill. “I’m too old and fat, but I’d drive a truck...The American people haven’t had to sacrifice anything."
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 5:10 p.m.
Calling all conservative Republicans...
...particularly those frustrated with President Bush.
The Star is working on a story on conservative GOPers who, for one reason or another, are frustrated with W. Polls show Bush's numbers declining to the point that his conservative base appears to be splintering.
If you fit this category, leave a comment here or e-mail Steve Kraske at skraske@kcstar.com. He may e-mail you back for a follow-up interview.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 4:48 p.m.
A CNN/Opinion Research overnight poll finds the respondents remarkably accepting of President Bush's immigration speech.
Overall reaction: Very postive, 40 percent; somewhat positive, 39 percent; somewhat negative, 11 percent, very negative, 7 percent.
On sending National Guard to border: Favor, 75 percent; oppose, 21 percent.
On allowing illegals already here to earn citizenship: Favor, 74 percent; oppose, 20 percent
On Bush's temporary worker proposal: Favor, 69 percent; oppose, 27 percent.
Views on Bush's immigration policies:
Before speech: Positive, 42 percent; negative, 38 percent
After speech: Positive, 67 percent; negative, 27 percent
But wait a minute. Could the relatively high numbers have something to do with the party breakdown of the poll, a frequent problem on snap surveys?
Party ID: 23 percent Democrats, 42 percent Republicans, 36 percent Independents.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 3:15 p.m.
The Washington Post reports that annual disclosure forms show President Bush and Laura Bush had assets valued at $7.2 million to $20.9 million last year, up from as much as $18.1 million in 2004. Most of that wealth wealth was in real estate and a diversified trust, which combined were worth as much as $10 million.
Bush reported receiving gifts including a $400 pair of binoculars from Vice President Dick Cheny and wife Lynne; an Apple iPod and a book titled The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language from U2 singer Bono; and a chain saw, with accessories, from Home Depot Inc. President Robert Nardelli.
Earning $400,000 as president, Bush paid $187,768 in taxes on taxable income last year of $618,694.
Meanwhile, Cheney disclosed a portfolio worth as much as $94.6M. His biggest assets included mutual fund holdings in Kansas City-based American Century Investments' International Bond Fund and Vanguard Group's Short-Term Tax-Exempt Fun Admiral Shares, each valued at $5 million to $25 million.
The Cheneys reported owing $529,636 on taxable income of $1,961,157. The couple's total income was $8.8 million. For Christmas, Cheney received a $338 hammock on a steel stand from Bush.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 12:05 p.m.
Here's the text of Bush's immigration speech.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 7:59 p.m.
The CNN poll that rated Bill Clinton more honest and trustworthy as president than George W. Bush also showed Clinton better at ALL the issues the poll tested.
Who was better at handling ________?
Clinton Bush
The economy: 63% 26
Foreign affairs 56 32
Taxes 51 35
National security 46 42
Disaster response 51 30
Problems of
ordinary people 62 25
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 6:30 p.m.
It's down, down, down for President Bush in Kansas and Missouri.
A new Survey USA poll out today lists Bush at 35 percent approval and 61 percent disapproval in Kansas.
In Missouri, the picture is even bleaker: 29 percent approval and 68 percent disapproving of Bush's job performance.
Both sets of numbers represent substantial drops since Survey USA's last poll released April 10.
The details: 600 adults, 18 and over for each of the 50 states took part. The survey was conducted from Friday to Sunday.
Nationwide, Bush stands at 33 percent approval and 64 percent disapproval, the highest disapproval for Bush in SurveyUSA history.
Only three states have him in positive territory: Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.
For a complete rundown, go here.
Posted by Steve Kraske 3:30 p.m.
You've read the weekend think pieces and editorials, checked out your favorite blogs and probably watched the Sunday talking heads bloviate about the latest disclosure about the NSA domestic terrorist surveillance program.
Now it's time for your thoughts. Do you support the program? Will it further erode any trust the American people have in President Bush? Are the Democrats risking another national security debate?
Let the debate begin on KC Buzz Blog. Post your comments below.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 9:15 a.m.
"I'm not a Democrat who delights in seeing the president slip on banana peels every day because he's also my president. But the American people are necessarily skeptical of government when trust in the government is thin and anxiety is thick. And there is a great deal of anxiety over this."
Posted by David Goldstein 3:18 p.m.
Conservative judicial darling J. Michael Luttig has unexpectedly quit his lifetime appointment to the Virginia-based Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to take a lucrative gig with the Boeing Co.
President Bush three times last year _ John Roberts, Harriet Miers and Samuel Alito _ passed over Luttig for the Supreme Court. Many conservatives had hoped the 51-year-old Luttig would get the appointment, but liberals had vowed to filibuster his nominations. Media reports at the time said Luttig did not click with the president during a face to face meeting before Bush selected Roberts.
In his resignation letter, Luttig said that due to the country's war on terror "the court has been asked to address some of the most complex and far-reaching legal questions of our day." Those comments raised some eyebrows because Luttig late last year authored a opinion rebuking the Bush administration for its handling of "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla and refused to allow the administration to transfer Padilla out of military custody.
Here's Luttig's resignation letter.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 2:20 p.m.
President Bush said today he thinks brother Jeb would make a "great" prez and that he's pushing him to run. More here.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 3:25 p.m.
The new USA Today/Gallup poll shows President Bush's approval at 31 percent among adults, down from 34 percent last week. It's the lowest of his presidency. Sixty-five percent currently disapprove.
Posted by Keith Chrostowski 11:05 a.m.
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