Jeez. Three months and one week before the midterm elections, and the Bush administration is already lawyering up? Does Karl Rove really think more of the Democrats' campaign skills than Daily Kos?

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As for Bush himself, he is curtailing his traditional August working vacation at the ranch so that he can barnstorm before the midterm elections. Their outlook thus far seems so ominous for the G.O.P. that one presidential adviser wants Bush to beef up his counsel's office for the tangle of investigations that a Democrat-controlled House might pursue.

A few months back the Democrats tried to laugh off rumors that they'll wallpaper the White House with subpoenas, but that wasn't good enough for One Presidential Adviser. If Nancy Pelosi, John Conyers, and Dennis Kucinich do win the House this fall, who should the administration put on point to fight them? A tested legal mind like Robert Luskin? A Clinton impeachment veteran like Bob Barr? A blogger who thinks Bush is "a man of extraordinary vision and brilliance approaching to genius"? Take the poll below the fold.

Into the Fray [TIME]

Turnout in the Dumps [Daily Kos]

-- David Weigel