…six months ago that the politicos’ attempt to instill “the image of Decisive, Steadfast Bushâ„¢ as the nation’s last line of defense against untameable chaos” was already in trouble:

“…Instead of being saved for the closing kick of the election campaign, the War on Terrorâ„¢ theme and Decisive, Steadfast Bushâ„¢ persona have had to be trotted out one time after another — to the point where they begin to be no longer comforting, but stale. In fact, as they have metamorphosed through Dubya’s personal neuroses into repeated claims of being a ‘war president,’ he seems increasingly less like Winston Churchill and more like Captain Queeg.”

If anything, this process has accelerated.