You bet, according to the Washington Post. An article set for release in Monday's daily makes the covert case that members of President Bush's team are wearing down after six years on the job.
Focusing mainly on Chief of Staff Andy Card, the article notes well the grueling schedule political advising and appointment entail. Unfortunately, the ulterior motive behind the article is to say that the White House is losing its edge.
Despite less than stellar poll numbers, it's important to add context to recent signs of public unrest. The Administration has understandably been under duress- some might say this is a part of the task of governance and I would agree. What remains lost in this observation, however, is the intense nexus of circumstances which have created a disquieted public. Let's take a trip down memory lane to get a better grasp of the current state of political affairs:
Tracking numbers back to last year's Inauguration, it was clear to most Americans that the insurgency in Iraq was
growing. But lost on poll numbers is the fact that the United States, in addition to fighting insurgent forces, had also been tasked with building and repairing Iraq's infrastructure- helping to rebuild everything from oil production to basic utilities such a water, electricity and food.
February also marked a month of increased
car bombings, while March brought the politically ill-fated Terri Schiavo
fiasco which divided the Nation.
Early April marked the death of Pope
John Paul II as Americans saddened by the news concurrently saw
tens of thousands of Islamic protestors marching in support of radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr and in opposition to the U.S. liberation of Iraq.
May bade worse tidings for the Bush Administration with allegations being circulated around the world of
Koran desecration by American troops, and escalation in the North Korean
stand-off as the communist regime fired test missiles towards the Sea of Japan.
June signaled a month of
fire outbreaks across the desert Southwest, in addition to the confirmation of a
second case of Mad Cow Disease in the United States. July marked the beginning of
Rove Gate, the London
subway bombings, the launch of a Congressional
inquiry into American collusion with the Brits on Iraq, focusing on the Downing Street Memo, the
embarrassing delay of the first shuttle launch since the Columbia disaster, the
resignation announcement of Sandra Day O'Connor and the
hospitalization of Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
When it seemed that the waning summer months would provide some relief from the bad publicity and hectic spring, August brought the
ubiquitous seasonal jokes about President Bush's vacation to Crawford, the
resumption of Iran's nuclear enrichment program, increased
violence in Iraq, mounting concerns over
border security, Republican embarrassments in the
conviction of Governor Bob Taft of Ohio and Pat Robertson's call to
assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and the mother of all political catastrophes,
Hurricane Katrina.
September saw no restraint in circumstances with the
death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, the
revelation of Scooter Libby as the source in the Plame investigation, continued violence in Iraq, embarrassing
remarks by Republican activist Bill Bennett, continued
fallout from inadequate preparation leading up to Hurricane Katrina and the
indictment of Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay.
October brought more woes still with the
indictment of VP Cheney's Chief of Staff, Scooter Libby, the nomination and withdrawal of
Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, increased sensitivity to the threat of
Bird Flu, reports of a credible threat to NYC's
subway system, and a massive
earthquake which leveled portions of Northern India resulting in a humanitarian crisis.
November saw Republican Gubernatorial defeats in
VA and
NJ, in addition to reports about illegal CIA interrogation
facilities in Eastern Europe, bad publicity about the U.S. military's
information offensive in Baghdad newspapers and the
defeat of CA Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Special Election ballot measures besides continued violence and
military operations in Iraq.
Finally, December brought with it some respite as the Administration was left to
confront critics of the Iraq war, and face the looming specter of
crisis in a nuclear Iran who denies the Holocaust.
From the quasi-exhaustive outline of events in 2005, it is clear that the President and his staff were forced to confront a number of exigencies of both a political and policy nature. It can be inferred that the series of events left Americans sullen about the direction of the country, even though there is effectively little the Executive Branch could have done to mitigate any of these points of irritation with the exception of a better plan for Hurricane relief in New Orleans- a point not entirely the White House's fault given poor planning on even the state level. Based on the time line, it is also evident that the White House was hard pressed to catch any sort of break to turn their political fortunes around.
Given the above observations, the President's political problems can hardly be ruled the product of a fatigued staff. Rather, it indicates an unique moment in history, with a conflux of forces which led to public malcontent. Perhaps some of the President's team are tired. But the Post is remiss to diagnose the problem as one of tired staff when the evidence points to extraneous circumstance affecting public opinion.
A better question for exploration is to wonder how the White House managed to maintain its
efficiency in 2005 despite having so many obstacles in its path. After all, passing two conservative Supreme Court Justices in the U.S. Senate, clearing sweeping intelligence overhaul, decreasing unemployment by 5%, passing the first national energy plan in over 10 years, and taking measures aimed at curbing frivolous lawsuits isn't bad for a "beleaguered" White House team that has lost its touch.
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