Kristof says it's "Time for an Extreme Makeover at the White House," because "President Bush now has a public approval rating that is 33 percentage points lower than President Clinton's was at the time he was impeached."

One model here, says Kristof, should be Reagan, who in 1987 was reeling from the Iran-contra scandal, Bork's nomination woes, and a stock market meltdown. "So Mr. Reagan systematically overhauled his presidency. He...appointed a bipartisan commission...to investigate Iran-contra. He fired or accepted resignations from two national security aides, John Poindexter and Oliver North. He also fired his chief of staff [and] accept[ed] personal responsibility for the scandal...Mr. Reagan also moderated his agenda, and his approval rating rose from 40 percent in 1987 to 64 percent when he left office."

Kristof's plan for Bush: boot Cheney and Rumsfeld, admit mistakes, and go for some big bipartisan initiatives.

Atrios on this wholly unrealistic scenario. "Oh, and unicorns!"

Comments

[diane davis]

If Cheney and Rumsfeld were kicked out and a new Democrat VP were appointed, would that give a boost to Republicans? Having an incumbent VP to run for Pres. in 2008 could be a smart for them. Think about it.

[Chip Atkinson]

Ed- when I see low approval ratings, as a conservative who admires the President and agrees with his policies, I think they (low ratings) can be attributed to a hostile press. This Cheney coverage is a great example of how the press has its own agenda.

The war seems to be going well. Our economy is good. Low unemployment. There are problems- Republicans spend $$ as well as Democrats do, so the deficit is sky-high.

[Ed Cone]

The war seems to be going well?

Many people, and many facts, would argue against that assessment.

I think you allot the press far too much power, Chip.

I would guess that Katrina has a lot to do with Bush's image problems, too. I know you will say that this was all media spin, but meanwhile a GOP congressional panel is ripping the White House for its heckuva job, Chertoff is in trouble, etc. Of course this is more complex than Kanye would have it, the panel also rips the mayor and gov -- but your blithe appraisal just doesn't reflect reality.

[Bubba]

I think it's a little wishful thinking on Kristoff's part, Ed.

As far as "blithe appraisal just doesn't reflect reality", that sword swings both ways, don't you think?

By the way, Dianne.....did you intend to say "a new Republican VP" in the first sentence of your post? If so, I would agree with that statement.

[Ed Cone]

Absolutely it's wishful thinking on Kristof's point -- hence the unicorns.

On the blithe appraisal -- if you mean that partisans on both sides of the aisle use info selectively and believe what suits them, sure. But there was a particular blithe appraisal on the table -- gee, things are pretty much going great for Bush, his low ratings must be the media's fault.

[Lex]

Given that Bush's base tends not to believe the MSM in the first place, I doubt a "hostile media" can be held responsible for this: Bush's approval ratings are their lowest level ever among his base.

[Chip Atkinson]

what I am beginning to believe- as evidence in the Cheney episode- is there is more than bias- more like media with an agenda. Lately- and I attribute this to bloggers- there have been many blatant though foiled attempts to discredit the Bush Admin. Rathergate. Katrina coverage. Cheney.

[jsykes]

The plan to sell half a million acres of National Forest land can't help the president much either.

I think creating a true energy policy and wrapping up our troop involvement in Iraq by Jan. 2009 are the two initiatives he must complete to have any chance at a positive historical image.

9-11 response won't carry him in the end.

[Ed Cone]

Chip, you can whistle past the graveyard all you want. Meanwhile, that notorious bed of liberals, the GOP-controlled Congress, is less cheerful:

NYT: "A draft of the report, to be issued by an 11-member, all-Republican committee, says the Bush administration was informed on the day Hurricane Katrina hit that the levees had been breached, even though the president and other top administration officials earlier said that they had learned of the breach the next day.

"That delay was significant, the report says, rejecting the defense given by the White House and the Department of Homeland Security that the time it took to recognize the breach did not significantly affect the response."

Loyalty is one thing, wilfull ignorance something else again.

Oh yeah, I forgot to add to the list of reasons people are pissed at Bush: the drug coverage package, and (soon to show up in his ratings) the port deal.

[Chip Atkinson]

The port deal- from the little I understand about it- it is not relevant who owns the ports. The US still controls security. I think you are right, people hate the idea. And politicians from both sides are seizing it as an opportunity.

No whistling here Ed. I am not saying he's popular. I am saying the press is actively undermining him. Logically, the people who will print false stories to harm a President will also color stories to fit their agenda.

[Ed Cone]

It's interesting, this question of press bias.

No paper did more to sell the war in Iraq than the New York Times -- Judy Miller's work on WMD/transcribing Chalabi was agenda-setting at its most obvious.

No media figure is more powerful than Rupert Murdoch. The media is owned by large corporations.

Lots of interesting stuff at lefty blogs about the media's embrace of basic GOP narrative on many stories.

Just saying: It's just not as simple as "the liberal media undermines the President."