[If we can get a good Photoshopper (Dood Abides perhaps?) to impose Bushs' face within Pai Mei's, that'd be awesome!]
On the heels of Joshua Bolten's 5 point GOP rehab plan, it appears they're already kicking into overdrive.
Point #1 - DEPLOY GUNS AND BADGES:
"This is an unabashed play to members of the conservative base who are worried about illegal immigration. Under the banner of homeland security, the White House plans to seek more funding for an extremely visible enforcement crackdown at the Mexican border, including a beefed-up force of agents patrolling on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)."
Check!
The Senate voted Wednesday to divert some of the money President Bush requested for the war in Iraq to instead increase security on the nation's borders and provide the Coast Guard with new boats and helicopters.
...
On border security, the Senate voted 59-39 for a plan to cut Bush's Iraq request by $1.9 billion to pay for new aircraft, patrol boats and other vehicles, as well as border checkpoints and a fence along the Mexico border crossing near San Diego.
Points #2 and #3 seem to feed each other:
#2 - MAKE WALL STREET HAPPY
In an effort to curry favor with dispirited Bush backers in the investment world, the Administration will focus on two tax measures already in the legislative pipeline-extensions of the rate cuts for stock dividends and capital gains. "We need all these financial TV shows to be talking about how great the economy is, and that only happens when their guests from Wall Street talk about it," said a presidential adviser.
#3 - BRAG MORE
White House officials who track coverage of Bush in media markets around the country said he garnered his best publicity in months from a tour to promote enrollment in Medicare's new prescription-drug plan. So they are planning a more focused and consistent effort to talk about the program's successes after months of press reports on start-up difficulties. Bolten's [reinforcing point #2] plan also calls for more happy talk about the economy. With gas prices a heavy drain on Bush's popularity, his aides want to trumpet the lofty stock market and stable inflation and interest rates. They also plan to highlight any glimmer of success in Iraq, especially the formation of a new government, in an effort to balance the negative impression voters get from continued signs of an incubating civil war.
[Point #3 is reinforced by making Wall Street happy, which of course, is being accomplished through the highlighted areas of point #3]
Point #4 - RECLAIM SECURITY CREDIBILITY:
This is the riskiest, and potentially most consequential, element of the plan, keyed to the vow by Iran to continue its nuclear program despite the opposition of several major world powers. Presidential advisers believe that by putting pressure on Iran, Bush may be able to rehabilitate himself on national security, a core strength that has been compromised by a discouraging outlook in Iraq.
Bad Iraq Outlook? Fix that right up!
Check!
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made an unannounced joint visit to Iraq Wednesday to bolster the emerging leadership and to suggest that the sometimes disjointed U.S. political and military operations are working seamlessly during the transition to a permanent government.
President Bush -- whose approval ratings have sunk to new lows because of the war -- secretly directed Rice and Rumsfeld to undertake the unusual joint mission as soon as the four-month impasse over the selection of Iraqi's prime minister ended last week, officials said. The trip came several weeks after the two secretaries had an unusual public tiff over whether the Bush administration has made mistakes in Iraq.
U.S. officials indicated that they were embracing perhaps the last chance the Bush administration had to turn around public opinion at home and to ensure that Iraq has a viable political future. The administration had previously pointed to the drafting of a constitution and election of a transitional government as watershed moments in Iraq, even as violence has continued to rage. The new government will last four years and likely become increasingly independent of U.S. influence.
Point #5 - COURT THE PRESS:
White House officials who track coverage of Bush in media markets around the country said he garnered his best publicity in months from a tour to promote enrollment in Medicare's new prescription-drug plan. So they are planning a more focused and consistent effort to talk about the program's successes after months of press reports on start-up difficulties. Bolten's plan also calls for more happy talk about the economy. With gas prices a heavy drain on Bush's popularity, his aides want to trumpet the lofty stock market and stable inflation and interest rates. They also plan to highlight any glimmer of success in Iraq, especially the formation of a new government, in an effort to balance the negative impression voters get from continued signs of an incubating civil war.
Check!
President Bush gave his presidency a facelift Wednesday, tapping a smooth-talking, telegenic conservative commentator as the new White House press secretary.
The appointment of Fox News pundit Tony Snow as Bush's third chief spokesman was intended in part to help improve the White House's frayed relationship with the press corps. Bush paired the announcement of his choice with some friendly jabs at reporters, and a serving of respect for their craft.
"Tony already knows most of you, and he's agreed to take the job anyway," the president said, Snow laughing at his side in the briefing room where he will start holding court in about two weeks. "He understands like I understand that the press is vital to our democracy."
My they're mighty quick with taking action when presidential approval is down. Running scared anyone?