... First, Peggy Noonan (sort of) takes it easy on Scott McClellan. She is, at least, somewhat sympathetic to him -- which makes her a member of a very elite group. Here's the money quote:
"When I finished the book I came out not admiring Mr. McClellan or liking him but, in terms of the larger arguments, believing him."... Second, Kimberley Strassel has terrific advice for John McCain. Here's an excerpt:
"With Congress's approval rating at record lows, the time is ripe for a slam campaign. Barack Obama won't do it, since his Democratic colleagues are running the joint. But it's a huge opportunity for Mr. McCain, who could play Congress's failings off his promises for reform. Even as Republicans sagely warn their nominee to distance himself from the president, they're beginning to see that his more productive option might just be to throw them – and Congressional Democrats – under the Straight Talk bus.
Mr. McCain could take encouragement from history. Harry Truman managed a 1948 victory by trashing the "Do Nothing Congress." Upstart Barry Goldwater in 1952 told Arizonans that Majority Leader Ernest McFarland represented the mess in Washington, and snatched the Democrat's seat. Tom Daschle followed McFarland, after being pilloried for turning the Senate into a dead zone."