So Scott McClellan is gone and though he was a reliable liar who took his lumps to protect the administration’s image, he’s in no way responsible for the problems of governance that have plagued the Bush administration to the detriment of the American people, our military, and the global community on whole. Josh Bolten has moved on up to the east side West Wing, but his goals will be entirely political in nature and his appointment brings no hope for the Bush administration to get better at governing. The former budget director’s arrival was hyped as a sign of change, but all of it is of the faux variety.

The real headline grabber for those with no real understanding of this administration is that Karl Rove has been relieved of his responsibilities as senior policy coordinator. Forget the fact that Rove had always been a purely electoral/political animal before that post-2004 appointment. Rove gets to now go back to bamboozling the country into voting Republican in the 2006 midterms.

Sure, no one raises money like Rove. So, with the Republicans weaker than weak, Bush needs serious help. It’s Rove to the rescue. To save the weakling in the White House, because if the Democrats take the House the Democratic leaders will be so far down Bush’s presidential pie hole he won’t be able to suck soda through a straw.

On the one hand Rove’s demotion return to excellence has little bearing on the realities of this tightly sealed administration. He is still likely to be involved in any important decisions the president makes, though Think Progress raises the interesting issue as to his security clearance now that he’s back to being a purely political operative.

In November, Newsweek wrote, “Having his security clearance yanked would not require Rove to resign as deputy chief of staff to President Bush. But it would prevent him from taking part in policymaking that relates to national-security issues, which would mean a much-reduced role in the Bush White House.”Rove has now resigned his policy-making post and is focusing primarily on politics. Given Rove’s public intentions to make national security the focus of the 2006 elections, the White House should reveal whether Rove will be doing his political job while holding a security clearance. [links in the original]

Indeed. Josh Marshall points out that Rove’s half-exit really doesn’t have much meaning, but reveals other problems with the Bush admin’s closely kept circle.

I’m still trying to get my head around whether or not taking the policy portfolio from Karl Rove really means anything. But unless I’m missing something, this ’shake-up’ has yet to see anyone actually penetrate the Bush White House bubble. Isn’t that right? I have to imagine they’ll pick someone from the outside for press secretary. But two of the three mentioned for the job are former administration press secretaries — Dan Senor and Victoria Clark. The third, Tony Snow, is also a White House communications hand, only he’s seconded to Fox News.

In all seriousness, I think the real story here continues to be that things are so bad at the White House, the level of denial and secrets to be kept, the self-bamboozlement and bad-faith so profound, that they just can’t manage to bring in any new blood. [links in the original]

Tony Snow? I think I just vomitted in my mouth a little bit. One replacement that has been installed is Rove’s doppleganger at policy chief, Joel Kaplan. Not surpisingly, coming from within the inner sanctum of the Bush bubble means you must have some real dirty business street cred.

The man Bush tapped to fill Karl Rove’s spot as his policy wizard is none other than Joel Kaplan, who took part in the infamous “Brooks Brothers riot” of 2000. That’s when a bunch of Washington GOP operatives, posing as outraged Floridians, waved fists, chanted “Stop the fraud!” and pounded windows in an effort to intimidate officials engaged in the Florida recount effort.

The real question is if any Bush Republicans don’t have a historical or current hand in the diminishment of democracy, endangerment of national security, or facilitation of corruption in these United States? When the only people the president can tap have already been implicated in scandals and the only people he can consider for positions are has-beens, also rans, and hairsprayed shills, what does this say about the relative worth of his administration? Josh Marshall again points out:

Finally, can they find anyone on the outside who wants in? This, remember, seems to be the problem with Treasury Secretary Snow. He has already, in essence, been fired. But they can’t come up with anyone crazy enough to take the job.

“Crazy enough to take the job” is the new ready, willing, and able. I think Bush would find more takers if he were seriously considering scrapping the whole staff along with his most controversial cabinet members - Rumsfeld, Gonzalez, and Rice. But in the words of Dana Carvey his father - who looks like a better president with every day of his son’s tenure - “Not gonna do it. No sirree.”