Majorities Say White House Staff Changes Mostly Cosmetic

[sabra]

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-17-2006/0004364171&EDATE=

Majorities Say White House Staff Changes Mostly Cosmetic and Things Will Not Change in the Administration, Designed to Boost President Bush's Job Approval Rating


Slim majority believes a journalist can be an effective presidential press
secretary

ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The motives behind the recent
staff shakeup at the White House have been met with a great deal of
skepticism by a majority of U.S. adults. When asked about the staffing
changes, three-quarters of those interviewed indicated the staff changes
are "mostly cosmetic and things will not change within the administration."
Seven in 10 adults (70%) say "these changes were mostly done to help
improve the president's job approval." When asked directly about the role
of a journalist as press secretary, about half (53%) say "journalists can
be effective press secretaries because they understand what the press wants
and how to provide that information."

These are some of the results from the latest Harris Poll of 1,003 U.S.
adults surveyed by telephone between May 5 and 8, 2006 by Harris
Interactive(R).
Real change or cosmetic

Respondents were read the following:
"As you may know, President Bush recently announced some staffing
changes in his Administration. There is a new Chief of Staff, a new Press
Secretary, and Karl Rove is no longer involved in policy matters. Which one
of these statements comes closest to your own opinion? These changes
reflect a real sense of change for the administration OR these changes are
mostly cosmetic and things will not change within the administration."
By a strong 73 percent to 22 percent margin, U.S. adults say that
"these changes are mostly cosmetic and things will not change within the
administration." Partisanship and ideology play important roles in how one
views these changes, but the differences are not as dramatic as one might
suppose. Majorities of Republicans, Independents, Democrats, conservatives,
moderates, and liberals say the staff changes are mostly cosmetic and that
things will not change. Republicans (50% cosmetic changes) and
conservatives (61%) are substantially less likely than Independents (80%),
Democrats (86%), moderates (78%), or liberals (89%) to say they feel this
way.

[savemefromdumbya]

1. or to replace those involved in Whorehousegate and Plamegate etc

[SpiralHawk]

2. Ye Olde "Lipstick on a Pig Trick" has worn itself mighty thin

Patriotic Americans have had their fill of republicon crony corruption, propaganda, and posturing

Pttt-hewweee !

[yellowcanine]

3. Until a Rovectomy is done it is business as usual.

edit: Spelled Rovectomy incorrectly. I believe this is the correct spelling.

[truthisfreedom]

6. Wayne Madsen Report says he's out on Friday!

from Wayne Madsen report:

May 17, 2006 -- LATE EDITION -- WMR can report tonight on more details concerning the confusing reports regarding Karl Rove and Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald from last Friday. WMR can confirm that the appearance of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales before the Grand Jury at the US Federal Courthouse in Washington was a formality in which the jury informed the Attorney General of their decision to indict Karl Rove. That proceeding lasted for less than 30 minutes and took place shortly after noon. Gonzales's personal security detachment was present in the courthouse during the Grand Jury briefing. From the courthouse, Gonzales's motorcade proceeded directly down Constitution Avenue to the Department of Justice.

According to sources within the Patton and Boggs law firm, Karl Rove was present at the law firm's building on M Street. WMR was told by a credible source that a Patton and Boggs attorney confirmed that Fitzgerald paid a visit to the law firm to inform Rove attorney Robert Luskin and Rove that an indictment would be returned by the Grand Jury against Rove. Contrary to other reports, some of which may have emanated from the Rove camp in order to create diversions and smokescreens, the meetings at Patton and Boggs did not last 15 hours nor was a 24-hour notice of intent to indict delivered to Rove. In the Scooter Libby case last October, after the Grand Jury decided to indict Libby on Friday, October 21 and the Attorney General personally heard the decision the same day at a meeting with the jury, the actual indictment was issued the following Friday, October 28. Several sources have told WMR that an announcement concerning the indictment of Rove will be made on Friday, May 19 generally following the same scenario from October 28, 2005 -- the posting of the indictment on the Special Prosecutor's web site followed by a press conference at Main Justice.

WMR was also told by a credible source that part of the reason for Fitzgerald's visit to Patton and Boggs was to inform Rove attorney Luskin that he has moved into the category of a "subject" of the special prosecutor's investigation as a result of a conversation with Time reporter Viveca Novak, in which Novak told Luskin that Rove was a source for Time's Matt Cooper. The special prosecutor, who has prosecuted one defense attorney in the Hollinger case, is reportedly investigating whether Luskin, as an officer of the court, may have violated laws on obstruction of justice.

WMR has also discovered that last year Rove, realizing he remained a lightning rod in the CIA Leakgate scandal, made preliminary plans to move into the private sector from the White House to take political heat off the Bush administration. However, as it became clear that he was in over his head legally and his legal bills piled up, Rove decided to remain at the White House.

[central scrutinizer]

4. rearranging the deck chairs

on the Hindenburg

[struggle4progress]

5. .

:kick: