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White House Retreat John LeBoutillier Several sources over the weekend reveal that the Bush White House has realized that the ports deal is killing them politically - and thus they need a new strategy. Accordingly, probably through the recently-retained lobbyist for Dubai Ports World, former Senator Bob Dole, the White House has told Dubai Ports World to "partner up" with an American company to manage the port terminals. In other words, find a "front company" to act as if they own and run these 21 crucial terminals. First out of the box for this "front" role is Halliburton, but that might entail too much controversy so that won't do either. So as the new week begins - and Bush's ratings among Republicans and conservatives continues to fray - the White House is still trying to resuscitate this ports deal. And until and unless they cut the cord and realize it will never pass political muster, this White House is committing daily political suicide. The longer it goes on - and we will hear new things this week now that the president is back from the sub-continent - the more it divides the GOP.
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Today there is genuine fear up on Capitol Hill that the House of Representatives could indeed change hands in November. Why? Because the crucial Republican base is so unhappy over this ports deal and illegal immigration that it may just not vote in heavy numbers in November. And if that base vote stays at home, a number of GOP congressmen - and senators, too - may lose. The White House - slow to realize how perilous their situation is - is just now waking up to political - and legal - reality. Legal?! Yes. If the Democrats win even one house of Congress back, they will have subpoena power and the power to run massive investigations into the Bush administration. You can be certain they will launch inquiries into every aspect of the Bush presidency: Iraq, energy deals, spying, torture, money matters, cozy corporate deals and on and on. Make no mistake about it: If they can, they will impeach President Bush. Why? A) Because they hate him; B) Because it will juice up their supporters; and C) Payback for the Clinton impeachment.
All of this has just now dawned on an asleep-at-the-switch White House political operation. In fact, the Karl Rove-led political shop has been off its game since the 2004 re-election. Why? Perhaps the tick-tick-tick, drip-drip-drip of the ongoing Valerie Plame investigation is distracting and wearing. For those of you who may not follow this, the Patrick Fitzgerald grand jury has been meeting every Wednesday and Friday mornings at 9:30 a.m. - ostensibly to do ‘read-ins' of prior grand jury testimony. The target? Karl Rove - for lying and perjury. Rove knows this and must be worried sick over it. And thus his job performance is suffering because of it.
No wonder the Cheney shooting problem was allowed to eat up an entire week; no wonder this ports deal was not vetted properly. The Bush White House has lost touch with 60 percent of the country. And you can't run a country this way. We are entering a period in our political life when there is no center, where things are spiraling off into all areas in an uncontrolled way. There is no ‘strong' figure in our political life. The President has quickly ruined his presidency and become even more than a lame duck; he is a crippled duck. There is no telling how this vacuum will be filled. Will it be one of the candidates now running for president? Or will it be by someone new to us all - a "new" and refreshing face - who rides in to clean the mess up?
Editor's note:
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