Tuesday 15 November 2005

White House Discord, Aides Say, Locks Bush Into Blame/Denial Strategy

Cite That Libby Took The "Faulty Memory" Defense, Leaving President Avoidance As Only Option

Starting with ignoring the solemn respect traditionally accorded the annual Veteran's Day Holiday, President Bush's aggressive tactics of blaming Congress members for making misleading statements about the Administration's run-up to the Iraqi War is a result of the continued discord inside the White House, sources tell The Garlic.

"They've essentially come to," says Paula Malady, an analyst for the think tank, All Things Terror, which specializes in Middle East affairs, "that all the other kids are doing it, so it's not our fault."

According to sources close to the White House, squabbling and turf battles inside the White House has lead to the latest strategy of having the President, aggressively and harshly criticize his critics for "politicizing" the issue.

"He's channeling Lenny Bruce," said a Capital Hill operative. 'Denial, denial, denial."

The reference is to a classic Bruce routine, on infidelity, in which Bruce advises to "Deny it … If they catch you in the act, deny it … If they catch with a chicken, deny it …"

Malady agrees with the denial assessment, as well as the White House discord as leading to, what she refers to as "an losing situation".

"They didn't line up their ducks very well."

As previously reported by The Garlic, Vice President Dick Cheney as already reserved the "Nolo Contendre" defense, should he end up under indictment, after a fierce argument with his former Chief of Staff. I. Lewis 'Scooter" Libby. Libby had sought to use that defense and, after losing his battle with Cheney, has fallen back to the 'faulty memory" defense.

"That leaves the President odd-man-out," says Malady. "He's the one that has to play the denial card."

Sources say it was Special Council Karl Rove who advised the President to begin his offensive on Veteran's Day.

"Rove wanted to augment it with a major smear campaign," said one source close to the White House.

This lead to a "turf battle" between Rove and White House Chief of Staff Andy Card. Card, while on-board for the 'Denial Strategy', wanted to wait until after the New Year to market it.

"Card wasn't comfortable launching a new war marketing program this close to the Holidays," said the source. "He wanted to wait until early January, after the Holidays, when the media is hungry for new stories."

Card had previously advocated, on other Iraqi War material, that "you don't launch a new product in August" and has been, often, a lone voice as to the timing of new initiatives.

"I'm surprised any strategy at all got out of that place," said the source. "They've got some many new people and interns in there, rewriting the administration's history, it's amazing that they could coordinate any kind of campaign."

The Vatican announced today that French Poodles have been added to the decree and that any priest "seen with or owning one" will be deemed gay and both priest and pooch will be banned from the church