I think history will gawk instead at the government attorney firing scandal ... his role in that (I may well have been his very own idea) and the power he was given or took for the objective of influencing the course of the next election cycle .... from the White House and the Department of Justice ... which will circle of course to Fredo ... whose bumbling second-class resume (if that) and inept toadying performance future historians will again simply marvel at.

Rove's reputation and audacity will outshine many legendary past political operatives -- no cleverness, no dirty tricks, just audacious ambition given a free hand.

gosh, maybe he'll write a book. gosh, i.don't.think.so.

Gee, maybe Karen Hughes is free to once again show us GWB's "human" side.

When I heard about Rove's resignation, I thought of Glenn's story and the "business as usual" mentality at work both by the press and by the "enablers"... those folks who "guarantee security" and plan the itinerary and set up all those sanitized "on the ground" opportunities ...

I wish more Americans could know the background of Ken and Mike's oh-so-much "more than objective, hey, they been converted to the cause" surge assessment ...

yup, Rove's biggest asset seems to have been his eye-on-the-prize "resolve"

the first wave of propagandists have moved on ... Bernard Lewis, Niall Ferguson being who I recall most ... but these couch-potato "greatest generation" wannabes are itching for an opportunity to watch WWII from the comfort of their homes ... they will root-root-root for the home team ... hell, they might even place a bet or two ...

In real life, they might get up the courage to give some swarthy people a dirty look and sinisterly curse them under their breath ... before leaping into their cars and driving away trembling ... and dining out on THAT story for a few months ...

putting her "in her place" and worse. While she has the trappings of power, I'm doubtful she has much credbility, thanks to Dick.

Gee, what's up with that middle east shuttle diplomacy?

(However, I must admit I'm delighted that "imminent threat" axis-of-evil member North Korea has disappeared from the news... if only Condi's team could do the same with Iran... or would two diplomatic breakthroughs with AOE members make the Neocons look like hysterical nancy boys?)

IMHO, TeamDick hobbles Rice ... The MIC had nothing to lose from resolution with Korea ... not the case elsewhere ...

it's rather as if those long discussions 4 years ago about the "problems with embedded reporters" had never happened and, yes, as someone compared yesterday or the day before, it IS like those electronics trade shows where the whole POINT is to WOW the audience and to SELL, SELL, SELL and generate BUZZ.

I have long suspected (but obviously cannot prove) that congressional "Intelligence Briefings" are conducted in the same general format, akin to those cautionary movies we saw in Driver's Education back in high school. Chills and thrills a minute ... with looming consequences .... hey, don't forget to approve my budget ...

When is an "embed" not an "embed"? And, it is worth noting that there are quite a number of real reporters in Iraq who are not embedded ... who doubtless attend briefings and attend photo-ops put on by the military but whose reporting is not confined to such. I wonder if the dynamic duo spent any time with them.

I live in a mountain community where most of the better paying jobs are in construction ... that evaporated a couple of years ago ... when I needed an electrician I had to go through 3 companies (each referring the next) because everyone had cut their crews to skeletal and had no one to send for my minor "right now" job that couldn't wait 2 weeks.

I suspect the crappy local economy and high price of gas is part of why so many houses are on the market, though actually, we seem to have 3-years worth of houses on the market, including two near me which are perfectly nice, older, starter homes (well under $200,000) -- nothing is being sold and I suspect all these properties have had all of the "fix-it-up to sell-it" work done that's going to get done.

Those who would like to relocate or need to leave are being crunched as well for upkeep ... rising groceries and gasoline prices will them keep holding off on doing anything until the last minute. I can't wait to see the crippling effect as costs are passed down to enact those measures to target employers hiring illegal workers. If those measures are effective at drying up the labor supply, prices will also rise as legal workers demand better pay, benefits... and as companies absorb the cost of new hiring, training and increased turnover rates. (I'm thinking about not only food processing but also housing, roofers, landscaping, etc.)

I've seen my "disposable income" evaporate slowly over the years .... but much more rapidly recently (last 6-8 months) and I'm suddenly living paycheck to paycheck, finding it increasingly difficult to pay off my single credit card.

I have no idea how other people, particularly those with kids and more "unexpected expenses" are managing, particular renters, but I'm re-writing my to-do list which includes many Home Depot type purchases ... it's down to basic upkeep necessities only ... (I won't shop at Home Depot ... I shop at Lowes).