By JIM RUTENBERG
Published: April 21, 2007
WASHINGTON, April 20 — Time and time again, President Bush has stood by his most embattled but loyal lieutenants despite loud calls for their heads, at times defying the established physics of Washington (rapidly diminishing support in one’s own party times the number of instances in which one has failed to convincingly explain away accusations of incompetence or malfeasance equals the certainty of rapid resignation).
But Mr. Bush’s ability to turn aside that kind of pressure is now facing a serious test as he confronts what to do about Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and Paul D. Wolfowitz, the president of the World Bank.
How Mr. Bush moves to resolve the situations is being watched closely in Democratic and Republican circles for what it says about his standing in the capital’s new power dynamic, as a late-term president with low approval ratings and a hostile and increasingly assertive Congress.
They are two very different cases in two very different worlds: Mr. Wolfowitz faces questions about favoritism toward his girlfriend; Mr. Gonzales is dealing with bipartisan criticism about his competence and questions about whether the Justice Department dismissed several federal prosecutors for political reasons.
more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/21/washington/21memo.html?ref=washington