Something Rotten in Denmar....er...Manhattan

In the classic sports movie "Hoosiers," the coach, played by Gene Hackman says, "It's way past big speech time" as his unlikely small town athletes prepare for their final game.

And so it goes with the Bush administration. We're all past big speech time. Nothing more GWB can say will sway the way the American public perceives him. He is yesterday's news. A Presidential fish wrapper, on the verge of rotting.

But (and you can call me paranoid if you like...'cause everyone else is :-) the odiferous attack on New York City today has the stink of Bush/Cheney/Rove written all over it. One day prior to a "major policy speech," in which everyone expects POTUS to call for an escalation of the Iraq War, we get a smelly little reminder of just how vulnerable NY is.

It was a slick move. No one gets hurt, but the message is clear: "IF WANTED TO USE VX GAS AGAINST YOU, WE COULD!"

Am I giving this cadre more credit than they are due? Perhaps. If they were such Machiavellian geniuses, perhaps the GOP would still be in charge on Capitol Hill -- and we know they're not.

But I can't help thinking that the timing is just a little too...Rovian....for me.