Whose Job is Safe and Whose Isn't? (And Why Imus Had to Go)

Can Paul Wolfowitz hold on to his job at the World Bank after revelations he broke rules to pay his girlfriend a non-taxable $193,000 a year? Can Alberto Gonzales hold on to his job after revelations he actually knew what he said he didn’t know about directives to fire eight U.S. attorneys? Can Karl Rove hold on to his job after revelations that he “accidentally” erased email messages about his role in the firings? How did Cheney hold on to his job after the Valerie Plame affair?

While we’re at it, why couldn’t Don Imus hold on to his job, after making his racial slur?

The heat against Wolfowitz is coming from other nations that are members of the Bank. Their furor is fueled by his role as a former Bushie who strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq. Hence, Bush’s support for Wolfowitz gets him nothing. My guess: Wolfowitz won’t be able to hold on much longer.

Gonzales is a pawn in the battle over who fired the U.S. attorneys for not playing political ball. The most dangerous heat for him is coming from several Republicans in Congress who played a role in the firings – prominently among them New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici, who need a scapegoat to deflect attention from themselves but who can’t and dare not find one inside the White House. If public outrage lasts another few weeks on this one, thereby endangering Domenici and other Republicans, Gonzales will be sacrificed.

Cheney and Rove are too important to Bush. They’re his eyes, ears, and brains. Their jobs are safe because Bush is a lame duck with almost nothing left except his eyes, ears, and brains.

Imus had to go because he was part of the media establishment and the public will not tolerate an establishment bigot – which means neither will establishment advertisers. Unlike Coulter, Limbaugh, and many of the self-described anti-establishment low-life that inhabit the drains and ditches of America’s shock-jock underworld, Imus had cozied up to the major names in mainstream politics and the press who eagerly appeared on his talk show. He tried to effect a maverick image but he was as mainstream as they come – a major feature on both CBS and NBC. So to allow his bigotry would legitimize bigotry everywhere. Thankfully, Americans still distinguish between the mainstream media and the polluted media, and still want our mainstreams clean.