The latest rat deserts the sinking SS BushCo

I have little respect for those who are only now coming to realize the many failures of BushCo and its nominal leader. I mean, who but the willfully blind could not have seen this sooner? I have even less respect for those who finally do so only because BushCo's malevolence has now affected them personally. I have referred to this characteristic lack of empathy before.

But there is something significant about the story of Matthew Dowd, even if it's simply the fact that he's the first member of Mr. Bush’s inner circle to speak out so publicly against him. Dowd was appointed the president’s chief campaign strategist in 2004.

He said his decision to step forward had not come easily. But, he said, his disappointment in Mr. Bush’s presidency is so great that he feels a sense of duty to go public given his role in helping Mr. Bush gain and keep power.

[...]

His views against the war began to harden last spring when, in a personal exercise, he wrote a draft opinion article and found himself agreeing with Mr. Kerry’s call for withdrawal from Iraq. He acknowledged that the expected deployment of his son Daniel was an important factor.

It may be that he's not evil, just self-centered and not very smart. It's amazing though, how often much evil can result from the actions (and inactions) from such banal creatures.