Now leaves the spinmeister himself, Karl Rove, the biggest rat yet to skitter down the hawser of the SS Bush Titanic, heading off to "spend more time with his family" and less time looking over his shoulder for the subpoena servers.

What will the historians say of this pudgy, balding fellow who was called Bush's Brain, the man who so skillfully set the ambushes and laid the bouncing betty mines that would kill or maim far better candidates than the one he helped rise to elected office at least six levels above his competence?

What will they write one day about this man who, more than any other in a century, so polarized and divided a great nation and people and converted the great game of politics into a blood sport, a killing sport? » read more

The nation’s capital is blissfully Congress-free this week as our senators and representatives join their colleagues in the Iraqi parliament on summer vacation. The Iraqis left Baghdad with an unblemished record of having done nothing. If only we could say the same of ours.

Our representatives in the Democratic-controlled Congress left town after one final, cowardly cave-in to Bush administration fear-mongering by passing a law that not merely extended but expanded warrantless wiretapping that further encroaches on the rights of every American and further erodes our constitutional protections.

What were they thinking? Do they really believe that the voters in 2006 elected a Democratic majority to take over the Republican role of rubber-stamping whatever The Decider decides is right? » read more