George Bush's Stepford Critics

Second, there should be little or no explanation as to how the apostate came to change his mind. Consider John Weaver, a top advisor to John McCain. The lodestar of Weaver's ideology for years had been hatred of Karl Rove -- who, Weaver complained, had spread vicious slanders about him when the two worked in Texas politics. Weaver was strategist for McCain's guerrilla campaign against Bush and Rove in 2000.

But then, last spring, Bush and the popular McCain began barnstorming the country together. It came out that their rapprochement had followed a meeting between Weaver and his arch-nemesis, Rove, whom he called "gracious" -- perhaps the first time anyone had ever called Rove this. Weaver declared that the pair had "a very honest and very frank discussion, and let's just leave it at that."

Third, the recanting heretic's explanation should make no sense. Indeed, this very implausibility is part of the mystique. In 2002, John DiIulio, the former director of Bush's faith-based initiative, criticized the administration. "There is no precedent in any modern White House for what is going on in this one: a complete lack of a policy apparatus. What you've got is everything, and I mean everything, being run by the political arm," he said, fleshing out the critique with damning details.

The next day, DiIulio announced that "my criticisms were groundless and baseless due to poorly chosen words and examples. I sincerely apologize and am deeply remorseful."

Or, as Galileo said of his declaration that the Earth revolves around the sun: "With sincere heart and unfeigned faith I abjure, curse and detest the aforesaid errors and heresies, and generally every other error and sect whatsoever contrary to the said Holy Church, and I swear that in the future I will never again say or assert, verbally or in writing, anything that might furnish occasion for a similar suspicion regarding me."

If I recall, this statement was preceded by an honest and frank discussion.