Bush Admin Status Report

Walter Reed, the Libby trial, the war, and now, the escalating malfeasance apparent in the dismissal of eight US attorneys:

The telephone calls to Iglesias by Domenici and Wilson appear to put them in conflict with congressional ethics rules that bar contacts with federal agency officials during most active investigations.

People started talking about "the wheels coming off of the administration" in November. Now what's the right metaphor? Rolling on its axles? Able to see the highway through the floorboards? Stopped at a dead standstill in a pile of crap?