Heart of darkness:

Yet far from being the increasingly isolated figure that he is often portrayed, Mr Cheney wields influence that has arguably never been greater. Among the close circle of trusted advisors that Mr Bush has relied on since coming to the White House, only Mr Cheney remains.

The others - the so-called “Texas mafia” that included Harriet Miers, the former counsel, Dan Barlett, director of communications, Karen Hughes, a senior advisor, Alberto Gonzales, the outgoing attorney-general and Mr Rove - have all left.

It was this informal coterie that would retreat with Mr Bush to his private quarters after formal White House meetings and take the hard decisions. “These were the people Bush trusted and where he could say anything,” said a former Cheney aide. “Cheney will now be unchallenged.” Article

Quotable quote.

“…now it’s politicos who make the decisions, and their suspicion of where people stand in terms of party politics seems to weigh very heavily. This just ain’t right.” Source

Ladies and gentlemen, the inimitable Jimmy Breslin.

Bush the President is our 43rd. He lied to the nation to get us into a war in Iraq that is without end. Every young person who has died leaves drops of blood on Bush’s hands and those of everyone around him. He lied to the nation and daily he tries every greasy way to undermine the Constitution he is sworn to uphold. Thus making his oath false. Article

Following up on a story mentioned earlier this week, and a quotable quote to boot.

Postscript: Barnett Rubin just called me. His source spoke with a neocon think-tanker who corroborated the story of the propaganda campaign and had this to say about it: “I am a Republican. I am a conservative. But I’m not a raging lunatic. This is lunatic.” Article

Then get cracking, Mr. Reid. Realizing that it is not politics as usual when dealing with the out of control woebegone G. Waler amdinistration is no less important.

“…I’m not really proud of the fact that it’s taken me so long to realize how bad it’s been, but I’m there.” Article