The PR Purge

The next member of the Bush cabinet to resign is rumored to be Tom Ridge, Viceroy of Homeland Security, and at the moment his replacement is expected to be even worse, if that's possible. Many see the trend of "moderate" and outsiders being replaced by Rabid Rightist Bush insiders as a consolidation of power. Sure is, but there's a particular intent to it. Loyalty over substance, Yes Sir over presenting unspun fact and alternatives, that's all part of it, but there is this additional effect of the end of massively bad PR generated by the likes of a Richard Clarke or Paul O'Neill.

So no more high profile books from inside the Bush administration that show him to be fixated on Iraq or essentially silly, wily but thin-skinned, devoid of anything approaching curiosity or a sincerely inquiring mind, and dumb as a Texas fence post. The Secretaries of the cabinet will be more like secretaries, taking dictation from the dictators in the White House, which are apt to be Dickhead Cheney and Darth Rove, while GW looks forward to a second term of more faith-based initiatives and more naps and vacations at the ranch.

They've still got a semi-loose cannon in Rumsfeld, but he's useful to draw fire from the White House, especially as Iraq becomes a definitively bloody nightmare. Besides, all these Bush guys got their start with Nixon or Reagan or Bush the First. It's time to start grooming the next generation of subverters of democracy. A stint in the dubya White House should be very helpful.