Ex-Bushie Loses Faith

On the face of the article in The New York Times, Matthew Dowd has finally seen the light and crawled out of the snake pit of the Bush Administration. But has he really had an epiphany, or is he posturing to save his career post-Bush? Dowd is obviously extremely opportunistic as evidenced by his conversion to the Dark Side. Based on his past behavior we can only surmise that his repentance is self-motivated. Read what Marty Kaplan and James Moore have to say, then make up your own minds.-Jake

From The New York Times :

AUSTIN, Tex., March 29 — In 1999, Matthew Dowd became a symbol of George W. Bush’s early success at positioning himself as a Republican with Democratic appeal.

A top strategist for the Texas Democrats who was disappointed by the Bill Clinton years, Mr. Dowd was impressed by the pledge of Mr. Bush, then governor of Texas, to bring a spirit of cooperation to Washington. He switched parties, joined Mr. Bush’s political brain trust and dedicated the next six years to getting him to the Oval Office and keeping him there. In 2004, he was appointed the president’s chief campaign strategist.

Looking back, Mr. Dowd now says his faith in Mr. Bush was misplaced.

Read the Rest

From Marty Kaplan

Is there a family tragedy you can loan to White House Counselor Dan Bartlett and his colleagues?

Bartlett told Bob Schieffer on CBS's Face the Nation that the cause of longtime senior Bush strategist Matthew Dowd's break with the President was the "personal turmoil" in Dowd's life. In recent years, Dowd has lost a child and a marriage, and now his son is being deployed to Iraq.

No wonder, says his good friend Bartlett, Dowd no longer toes the Bush line; emotions can cloud your thinking.

Set aside the No Slime Left Behind aspect of this, the signature personal attack on White House critics. And set aside Dowd's repugnant record as Rove Jr., which will require more than one confession to the New York Times to absolve.

The core issue, I think, is Bartlett's contention that good Bushies are unburdened by emotions. They are free to pursue their policies -- that is, their politics -- unclouded by remorse, anguish, second thoughts, private doubt, or relevant personal experience. What splendid Spartans lead us! What Karls! What Dicks!

Read the Rest

From James Moore

In his front page political self-immolation in the New York Times, Bush pollster Matthew Dowd has managed to set a standard for duplicity unmatched thus far by even Karl Rove. For all of Rove's many and manifest failings, a basic honesty has always existed within his character.

The president's political gunslinger has never denied nor hidden who he is or what he wants to achieve. This sets Rove apart from two of his Bush colleagues. Matthew Dowd and Mark McKinnon, also chief enablers of the Bush tragicomedy, were once Democrats. Both of them found rationalizations for their craven transitions but only Dowd has begun to express regret. His apology, however, is as calculated as his decision to enlist in Bush's army of deception.

Dowd seems to believe that he can play a role in destroying families with an immoral war and then simply earn forgiveness by saying, "I'm sorry." Through two elections, he brought polling science, strategic thinking, and political advantage to a president determined to accumulate executive power by marginalizing the constitution, and now Dowd thinks expressing sensitivity and remorse in an interview with a newspaper will absolve him of his sins. It does not. And he ought not be trusted. He showed poor judgment by joining Bush and he is equally wrongheaded with his latest public admissions.

Read the Rest