George "Raging Bull" Bush

Shallow Larynx forwarded Charlie Cook's latest column, and it suggests that Fearless Leader's notorious unwillingness to listen to criticism or bad news could be his undoing.

Let's start with his poll standings. 40% might not sound so awful, but take a look at this comparison:

In the entirety of their second terms, Eisenhower never dropped below 48 percent, Reagan never went beneath 43 percent, and Clinton never went below 54 percent. Bush's second-term floor in the Gallup poll thus far is 39 percent.

So the people aren't happy. But in spite of having promised twice to sack anyone connected to the Plame affair, Bush has shown his usual flair for circling the wagons:

If you need to hit rock bottom to make some fundamental choices and changes, the failure to hit rock bottom might mean that Bush and his team will only tinker around the edges.

It is hard to find veteran Republican pros who don't think that changes in the White House are essential. But it is equally difficult to find Republicans close to the White House who see those changes as likely to occur.

Take for example, a likely scenario to replace Treasury Secretary John Snow.


At some point in the not too distant future, Snow is likely to step down, leaving that job open for White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, who has long coveted and angled for the job.

But promoting from within the administration or within "the Bush II family" is not the kind of change that needs to happen.

Instead, the president needs to fill White House posts with people more likely, not less likely, to level with him about the magnitude of his problems.

With his pick of Alito Monday, it is clear the president is committed to winning back the support from his base that has been waning in recent weeks. But another key component in getting his "mojo" back is to shake things up and make significant changes at the White House.

And that's about as likely as a sausage synagogue.