Does The Bush White House Make The Grade?

While most of us are spending these last days of August eyeing the weather forecast for the Labor Day weekend, Dick Meyer has been taking the whole back-to-school thing very seriously.

He's decided to give grades to a few members of the president's staff, and he's not grading on a curve:

White House personnel lineups generally lose their all-star quality by the last 18 months of a two-term administration. Not so with the maverick regime of George W. Bush. He began his term with a "D+" roster and, depending on who he selects as attorney general to replace his pal, Fredo, he could end up with a gentleman's "C." Possibly a "C+."

Unfortunately, any improvement in the president's GPA is basically irrelevant to the country at this point. It's too late. President Bush should have studied his history more. It wouldn't have taken more than an hour.

The Bush White House was stocked with cronies. There's nothing wrong with cronies. Some of my best friends are cronies. A president needs cronies. But they shouldn't be working in the White House.