So rumors about Bush are (booze) starting to make the tabloids, and then there's this from the Washington Times and Matt Drudge, founding newspapers and websites of the Republican Noise Machine.

Essentially they all say that the Prez is isolated, bitter, sulking, not really talking to anyone other than his wife, his mom, Condi and Karen Hughs. And he's estranged from his Father.

Who knows if its true, but given that I talked before about the possibility of impeachment, I think it's worth mentioning that if things don't get better (or if they continue to get worse), there's the slightly more likely possbility that he'll quit. Bush has 38 months of being president left. That's a long term to serve under the circumstances.

The obvious parallels are to Nixon and his "final days" of drunken solitude, but it makes even more sense for Bush to throw in the towel. As far as I can tell, he doesn't have the kind of Will to Power that you usually see in a president; sure he wanted it, but he was always at the head of a rather large political machine which supplied him with a lot of Chi. The parts of that machine not headed for jail or early retirement are currently being disassembled and redistributed among GOP stalwarts. Bush is largely on his own, facing the growing wrath of a nation he hoodwinked -- probably an uncomfortable position for him.

It's also not outside Bush's history to quit when the going gets tough. He's done it before, and if there's any truth to the rumors that he's back on the Sauce we can only hope he does it again. I don't really fear that Bush will do something totally out of control, because in real terms the President is not a powerful figure in our republican democracy unless the other elements around make him so. I think if Bush tried anything really outlandish he'd find himself checked and balanced. I also don't think it's in Bush's character to take the initiative like that, so I'm not worried about him starting another war or anything crazy.

But still, it would be nice not to have a lonely boozer in the Oval Office.