No-go for Cuomo.

Surprisingly, it seems President and Senator Clinton are now quietly backing H. Carl McCall over former Clinton Cabinet official (and Gore hack) Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for NY Governor. Is this residual fallout from the much-rumored Clinton-Gore rift in 2000, or just a savvy political move to set up for 2008?

Et tu, Scowcroft?

While Maureen Dowd reads Oedipal strife into Brent Scowcroft’s recent decision to pooh-pooh Dubya’s bellicose policy on Iraq, Tom Oliphant thinks the rift’s been overstated. In related news, Trent Lott belatedly sees the wisdom in a congressional debate on an Iraq war.

Are we done yet?

In related news from the NYT, Bush gets bored at yesterday’s Photo-Op economic summit. “He dutifully scribbled some notes as participants talked, looking as happy as a high school kid in trig class, and bounded out of his chair when Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill told him he could be excused.” Meanwhile, the Dow dropped 200.

A Tale of Two Ranches.

The NYT contrasts the LBJ and Dubya ranches. “While Lyndon B. Johnson used his 2,700 acres as a political tool and power base to both stroke and dominate guests at his barbecues along the Pedernales River, Mr. Bush, the gregarious former fraternity president, has used his 1,600 acres as an isolated retreat to entertain family and a few old Texas friends.” Hmmm…perhaps it’s because the channels of power usually flow around rather than through our Dauphin, eh?