I wondered when you guys were going to start talking about other news stories. I agree that what happened on Saturday morning was tragic and horrifying, but there are other, equally important things going on in the world.

The really great part of this story is not just that Card resigned, but that Josh Bolten, the guy who has overseen record budget deficits for the past few years, is being promoted. Once again in the Bush administration, if you do your job really, really badly, you get rewarded. Still, the press is mostly covering this as "cleaning house," just like good little lap dogs.

Josh Bolten is indeed a Grade A prong, but it's hardly fair to leave the $1.8 trillion deficit at his office door. The budget director doesn't write the budget out of nothing. Bolten is being promoted because he's doing the one thing that Bush values above all others: he's a good soldier. He does what he's told, and if Bush tells him shits are sandwiches he says "I'll take two, sir".

The thing about a management structure that values loyalty and obedience above all else is, if things go wrong, there are no stops between the problem and the man at the top. Bush may not have a "Buck Stops Here" sign on his desk, but those budgets are HIS.

You're assuming the Sun King is rational and/or paying attention outside of Versailles (the WH).

I don't think they care. They'll keep shuffling deck chairs and ignoring reality.

answer to the question: rummy isn't going anywhere.

Rummy has forever. He is Cheney's strongman. I would bet there is a offshore account somewhere for Rummy with lots of Haliburton cash in it.

And Daddy Bush liks him too.

Card was tired and used up. No real loss to Bush. The public doesn not even care. All for the insiders.