White House crises show new accountability

The president, for his part, has made a point of appearing focused on the goals of his six-day "social justice" tour, which will end Wednesday. He did not speak with Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales before his old friend's news conference Tuesday, nor has he been on the phone with other officials in Washington, aides said. Instead, he has let Bartlett and Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten, who is also on the trip, interact with aides at the White House, where Deputy Chief of Staff Joel D. Kaplan is in charge.

The coincidence of timing has created a split-screen trip, with Bush boating with Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez and touring the legendary Uxmal ruins with Mexican President Felipe Calderón while at home his administration faces one crisis after another. Bush hoped to use his five-nation tour to repair frayed ties to the region, but the main images transmitted to the United States were of violent protests in the streets that greeted him at every stop.

Bush aides believe they accomplished what they wanted in the tour of the region, because Latin Americans received fuller coverage of his events and remarks about their concerns, such as immigration and poverty. Yet even here, Bush's every move was shadowed by his leftist regional bête noire, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, taunting him with go-home-Gringo-themed speeches and demonstrations.

‘Real failings at many different levels’
Bush has faced tough political moments before, including the uproar over abuse at Abu Ghraib, the original CIA leak scandal and the revelation of secret warrantless eavesdropping. The difference now is that Democrats are in charge on Capitol Hill and the Bush team is not used to the jousting with another branch, which was commonplace for Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

That has been evident in the disparate responses to recent issues by different players in the administration. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, a veteran of President George H.W. Bush's administration, responded to Walter Reed disclosures in a traditional and predictable Washington manner by firing the Army secretary and two generals, and vowing to fix the problem. By contrast, Gonzales, who had no Washington experience before coming from Texas with Bush, through his office provided shifting accounts of what happened with the U.S. attorneys before finally resorting to the more familiar "mistakes were made" news conference Tuesday and accepting the resignation of his top aide the day before.

The arrival of the new Congress was the reason that Bush eased out his old friend and lawyer, Harriet E. Miers, as White House counsel and brought in Fred F. Fielding, a seasoned Washington hand who helped Reagan deal with a Democratic Congress in the 1980s. Now that she is out, Miers has found herself on the spot for her actions regarding the prosecutors.

"I think that the White House Counsel's Office, and the leadership at Justice and the leadership at the FBI all deserve part of the blame for the unacceptable way these issues have been handled," Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.) said about the prosecutors and FBI abuses. "The president is ultimately responsible for making these appointments. One of the real disappointments in each of these examples is there were real failings at many different levels."

Abramowitz reported from Washington.

MORE FROM POLITICS

Politics Section Front

Senate clears last hurdle before final health vote No pity parties for senators working overtime Did Obama campaign on the public option? Guantanamo prison may stay open until 2011 AIG bonus return pledge goes mostly unfulfilled Abortion looms as possible health bill deal killer Obama rejects criticism on health legislation Fighting breast cancer, Teresa Heinz urges tests Dems, White House predict health care success Several prosecutors probing health care deal Politics Section Front   Add Politics headlines to your news reader: