Hayden/Goss, Merkel/Putin

Bush needs a new script. As Jon Stewart pointed out on The Daily Show (video), the president said almost exactly the same thing about his new nominee for CIA chief as he did about the guy who abruptly resigned.

Bush on Gen. Mike "Warrantless Wiretapping" Hayden: "He's the right man to lead the CIA at this critical moment in our nation's history."

Bush on Porter "Hookergate?" Goss: "He's the right man to lead this important agency at this critical moment in our nation's history."

It's not the first time, of course. Bush, who just said he "got a glimpse into [the] soul of conservative German leader Angela Merkel, said the same damn thing about autocratic Russian leader Vladmir Putin, a guy whose relations with the US have soured: "I was able to get a sense of his soul, a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country."