It never ends. I read, just this morning in the Washington Post, that mr president intends to exert his (questionable?) executive prerogatives in at least three areas. Here is a brief quote from the article:
"In a mid-morning news conference, Bush told reporters he is skeptical of a proposed law imposing new oversights on his use of the National Security Agency to listen in on electronic communications. He also said that he will block White House aides from testifying about the slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina, and that he will not release official White House photos of himself with former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff."
Comments, please, to correct me if I'm wrong... but I interpret this to mean that he is contemplating some strong-arm tactics to quash any attempts to limit his power or oversee his questionable actions; he is obstructing justice in the hearings regarding the disaster in New Orleans; and he is trying to erase any Abramoff trail that leads to him and establishes his illegal dealings with that lobbyist.
I know some people will say "what's the big deal about him refusing to turn over a few photos?" but think of it this way - one official photo of the president shaking someone's hand is hardly an issue, people have been doing it all the time since the invention of photography. But if there are a fairly large number of photos, and if they were taken either at official functions or by an official photographer, they are public property, and may clarify bush's involvement in this whole mudpit. If the photos are by definition public property, again, he either turns them over or he is obstructing justice. Whether or not bush had direct dealings with abramoff, it would be very telling indeed to discover that he had knowledge of those activities with lawmakers.
The whole "K Street" scandal grows more astonishing and nauseating by the hour. Our president wants dictatorial power, and it seems that too many people are just going to sit back and say "it's awful, but I can't do anything about it."