In what might turn out to be an April Fool's Day joke, the New York Times offers "Ex-Aide Details a Loss of Faith in the President" about former Bush chief campaign strategist Matthew Dowd becoming disenchanted with Our Leader:

He criticized the president as failing to call the nation to a shared sense of sacrifice at a time of war, failing to reach across the political divide to build consensus and ignoring the will of the people on Iraq. He said he believed the president had not moved aggressively enough to hold anyone accountable for the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and that Mr. Bush still approached governing with a "my way or the highway" mentality reinforced by a shrinking circle of trusted aides...

"I really like him, which is probably why I'm so disappointed in things... ...I think he's become more, in my view, secluded and bubbled in... ...I'm a big believer that in part what we're called to do - to me, by God; other people call it karma - is to restore balance when things didn't turn out the way they should have... ...Just being quiet is not an option when I was so publicly advocating an election... ...[Deciding to join the Bush campaign was] almost like you fall in love... I was frustrated about Washington, the inability for people to get stuff done and bridge divides. And this guy's personality - he cared about education and taking a different stand on immigration... ...I think we should design campaigns that appeal not to 51 percent of the people... but bring the country together as a whole... ...[In the future] I wouldn't be surprised if I wasn't walking around in Africa or South America doing something that was like mission work... ...I do feel a calling of trying to re-establish a level of gentleness in the world."

Awwww. Did the reporter give him a hug? This has got to be a joke, but if it isn't and he's never able to work for the GOP again, then too bad: he should have figured out that Bush was up to no good years ago and at the least quit the campaign. Of course, as even the NYT reporter points out, his completely voluntary confession "in some ways tracks the public arc of Mr. Bush's political fortunes". Some rats are apparently given to histrionic displays as they flee sinking ships.

He also fingers the only presidential candidate who appeals to him as Barack Obama and what he calls his "message of unity". And, of course, note that he still thinks Bush's immigration schemes are acceptable.

And, after the Bush success, he went on to work for Arnold Schwarzenegger, so he's partly responsible for Arnie's rush to the center.

Of course, there's the possibility that this is just a Dowd - or even Karl Rove - scheme, with Dowd going to work for a Bush-friendly candidate who'll reach for the center, with kindness, corporatism, gentleness, corruption, hugs, and massive immigration for all.