[earth2025] GOP Leaders to Bush: 'Your Presidency is Effectively Over'
A growing number of Republican leaders, party strategists and
political professional now privately tell President George W. Bush
that his presidency "is effectively over" unless he fires embattled
White House advisor Karl Rove, apologizes to the American people for
misleading the country into war and revamps his administration from
top to bottom.

"The only show of unity we have now in the Republican Party is the
belief that the President has failed the party, the American people
and the presidency," says a longtime, and angry, GOP strategist.

With the public face of support for Bush eroding daily from even
diehard Republicans, the President faces mounting anger from within
his party over the path that may well lead to loss of control of
Congress in the 2006 midterm elections and the White House in 2008.

"This presidency is in trouble," says a senior White House
aide. "Even worse, I don't know if there is a way out of the
trouble."

Congressional leaders journeyed to the White House before Bush left
on his South American tour this week to tell the President that his
legislative agenda on the Hill is dead, his latest Supreme Court
nominee faces a tough confirmation fight in the Senate and he is
facing open revolt within party ranks.

"The Speaker is having an increasingly difficult time holding his
troops in line," says a source within the office of House Speaker
Dennis J. Hastert. "Anger at the President grows exponentially with
each passing day."

At a recent White House strategy session, internal party pollsters
told the President that his approval rating with Americans continues
to slide and may be irreversible, citing his failed Iraq war, the
failed Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers and his failure to
deal decisively on a number of fronts, including Hurricane Katrina,
the economy and the Valerie Plame scandal.

In meetings, leaders and strategists have suggested a number of
things that Bush must do to try and save his presidency and GOP
prospects in upcoming elections, including:

Apologize to the American people, Congress and our allies for
misleading them on the reasons for invading Iraq;
Revamp the White House staff from top to bottom;
Fire Rove.
"We keep coming back to Rove," says a GOP pollster. "He has escaped
indictment, so far, but the feeling within the party is that another
shoe is ready to drop and the longer he waits to jettison Rove the
greater the damage. As long as Karl Rove remains at the President's
side, the Bush presidency is effectively over and he is just riding
out the days until the nation elects a Democrat to replace him. Even
with Rove gone the damage may be irreparable."

Bush, however, has dug his heels in on Rove. When a GOP strategist
suggested last weekend that the President fire Rove, Bush exploded.

"You go to hell," he screamed at the strategist. "You can leave and
you can take the rest of these lily-livered motherfuckers with you!"
The President then stormed out of the room and refused to meet
further with any other party leaders or strategists.

Bush's escalating temper tantrums and his intransigence on political
issues increase Republican worries about the long term effects on
both his presidency and the party's prospects in upcoming elections.

"Right now, George W. Bush is the Republican Party's chief
liability," says a GOP strategist who has advised Presidential
campaigns for 30 years. "The entire political future of the party
and perhaps the nation now rests on the shoulders of a President
that no one - Democrat or Republican - believes in or trusts."

Ref:
 http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7617.shtml






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