The 10 Stages of a Bush Scandal

[Clara T]

1. POTUS circumvents the law - an impeachable offense.
2. The story breaks
3. The Bush crew floats a number of pushback strategies, settling on one that becomes the mantra of virtually every Republican surrogate.
4. Rightwing attack dogs on talk radio, blogs, cable nets, and conservative editorial pages maul Bush's critics as traitors.
5. The Republican leadership plays defense for Bush, no matter how flagrant the Bush over-reach, no matter how damaging the administration's actions to America's reputation and to the Constitution. A few 'mavericks' like Hagel or Specter risk the inevitable rightwing backlash and meekly suggest that the president should obey the law. John McCain, always the Bush apologist when it really comes down to it, minimizes the scandal.
6. Left-leaning bloggers and online activists go ballistic, expressing their all-too-familiar combination of outrage at Bush and frustration that nothing ever seems to happen with these scandals. Several newspaper editorials echo these sentiments but quickly move on to other issues.
7. A few reliable Dems, Conyers, Boxer, et al, take a stand on principle, giving momentary hope to the progressive grassroots/netroots community. The rest of the Dem leadership is temporarily outraged (adding to that hope), but is chronically incapable of maintaining the sense of high indignation and focus required to reach critical mass and create a wholesale shift in public opinion.
8. Reporters and media outlets obfuscate and equivocate, pretending to ask tough questions but essentially pushing the same narratives they've developed and perfected over the past five years, namely, some variation of "Bush firm, Dems soft."
9. Polls will emerge with 'proof' that half the public agrees that Bush should have the right to "protect
10. The story starts blending into a long string of administration scandals, and through skillful use of scandal fatigue, Bush weathers the storm and moves on, further demoralizing his opponents and cementing the press narrative about his 'resolve' and toughness.
Rinse and repeat.

http://daoureport.salon.com/synopsis.aspx?synopsisId=c7a6261b-ca97-4bd2-a4a0-655d131080f3

[TomInTib]

1. Sadly, all too true.

I actually believe the WH has this totally formulated to work to their benefit.

[Burried News]

2. Colin Powell appears on Jay Leno - kisy kissy yuck yuck

Henry Kissinger writes a long missive on why our foreign policy is basically correct. Followed shortly thereafter by similar initiatives from Jim Hoagland and Charlie Rose.
Charles Krauthammer and George Will create a meaningless pseudophilosophical shitstorm.
Limbaugh or some other asshole starts in with Chappaquiddick.

And the beat goes on ladiladiladi dee ladiladiladi die
until some other disaster or Bush fuck up takes center stage.

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. All the while, more people wake up to the fact that jr is mr. shit

and the polls sink some more. He can run but he can't hide from the facts.