Ruthless Elegance

John Podhoretz throws his hat in the ring trying to figure out GWB. Evil or doofus? Nice guy or ruthless? John even stirs in the 'elegant' factor to confuse liberals:

FOR years now, liber als and leftists have been unable to de cide whether they dislike George W. Bush because they think he's a doofus or because they think he's evil. So they've come up with a peculiar new political caricature to make sense of the president they simply cannot understand: To them, he's the Evil Doofus.

But this just doesn't work. You can't be both evil and a doofus. Doofuses have a sweet and dopey quality. Evildoers know what they're up to, and they're frightening in their relentless pursuit of bad aims.

Conservative fans have also found themselves puzzled by Bush. Many consider him the soul of decency, a good man of faith and dignity — a man who believes in loving thy neighbor as thyself and not casting the first stone.

These gentle qualities, however, contradict his vital appeal to those who want their president to be the kind of resolute tough guy who won't knuckle under to anybody — not Saddam Hussein, not some hoity-toity French president and not John Kerry and the Democrats.

So who is he? Doofus or evil? Nice guy or tough guy?

What if he's none of the above?

What if, in fact, he's a smoothie — someone who achieves his political aims with elegance that's all the more shocking because there's nothing especially elegant or smooth in his manner?

Now go read John Podhoretz prove his case based on Bush's changing cabinet, and how the 'doofus' has cleared the way for his 2nd term.