When the Chickenhawks Come Home to Roost

from an article by By George E. Condon Jr. [excerpts; emphasis added]
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

It is a measure of just how bad things have been going for President Bush that the first indictment of a senior presidential adviser in more than a century was greeted Friday with more relief than shame inside the White House. As scandalous as the criminal charges against Lewis Libby are, the president's top aides had been braced for more charges and the possible forced resignations of even more senior officials.

Almost exactly one year after he triumphantly celebrated his re-election victory, these are not happy days for the president, his administration and his party.

It's been the worst week of the worst month of the worst year of the Bush presidency," said Charles Cook, editor of a respected nonpartisan political newsletter, who said the president's team is making the same mistakes seen in many second-term White Houses and is in dire need of fresh blood.

Just since last weekend, Bush has had to endure another significant terrorist bombing inside Iraq, the passing of a major milestone with the 2,000th American military death in the war, more bad poll numbers, more complaints about slow response to a hurricane in Florida, the humiliating withdrawal of his Supreme Court nominee and, now, the criminal indictment of one of the most influential members of the administration.