Bush knows he's got some esplaining to do

President Bush didn't waste time shoring up the troops -- no not the ones in Iraq, but his White House legal team -- in preparation for what we hope will be some serious esplaining!

In yet another attempt to escape accountability, Bush selected scandal-seasoned attorney Fred F. Fielding to be his White House counsel. Fielding, who worked for both Nixon and Reagan, replaces Bush loyalist Harriet Miers.

The Washington Post reports:

"It sends the perfect signal that we are serious about the president's position and the principles he has articulated but we're also going to be reasonable and work together to get some of these issues resolved," said Helgi C. Walker, a former Bush White House associate counsel ...

Walker has one thing right, it does send a signal -- that THIS president is hoping Fielding can do for him what he did for the Teflon President.

Words like "formidable" and "battle-hardened" are being used to describe him. And Bush aides believe he "will be able to negotiate compromise without surrendering on the most important priorities." All this posturing indicates the president has something to hide.

According to The Washington Post:

In Bush's case, he faces congressional demands for information on politically sensitive topics such as whether officials authorized the abuse of U.S.-held detainees, whether the administration turned a blind eye to profiteering by politically connected contractors in the Iraq war, how the White House responded to Hurricane Katrina and whether senior officials complied with the law in ordering heightened domestic surveillance. The White House counsel also monitors staff ethics issues and screens judicial nominations, including potential Supreme Court justices.

Fielding served as deputy to White House counsel John Dean, in the Nixon administration, and was the person who informed Dean of the Watergate break-in. Yet according to the Post, Fielding was one of the few to emerge untainted by Watergate. Bush has got to be hoping Fielding can do the same for him.

We can only hope that the most unethical president in history will finally be held accountable for his actions.