As Bush was ordering gunships to pound a poor neighborhood of Fallujah, leaving hundreds homeless following a seige that has left hundreds of women, children and elderly Iraqis in the area dead or maimed, Karen Hughes was making the following statement to CNN: "The fundamental difference between us and the terror network we fight is that we value every life." We'd laugh if it weren't such a sick joke. Hughes and company don't even value our own soldiers' lives, yet because they claim to be anti-abortion, that means they are "pro-life" HELLO! This is the most anti-life administration in the history of the US. - war, environmental devastation, condoning the pollution of drinking water and air, rising deaths from lack of insurance. Oh, yeah, Karen, you're pro-life all right. On some other planet maybe.

On Sunday, Bush brought out his "big gun" - his nanny. Yep, Karen Hughes, Bush's on call nose-wiper pleaded her ward's case and plugged her book on Meet the Press. But she flubbed her lines, reports the NY Daily News: "Hughes emphatically denied yesterday that Bush had opposed creating the 9/11 panel in 2002, saying instead he simply had 'concerns.' The White House vigorously fought against its creation. Hughes flubbed a critical fact in claiming 'unprecedented cooperation.' She said that four commissioners and two staffers had been given access to secret CIA briefings on Al Qaeda given to Bush before Sept. 11. [in fact] Only three panel members were." Hughes also hinted that the 9/11 report may not be released before Nov. because they must make sure no intelligence agent is compromised. What a joke! The White House proved in the Valerie Plame case that they do not give a rat's behind about the security of intelligence agents! You'll have to do better than that, Nanny Hughes!

Karen Hughes book and recent interviews not only reveals a woman whose hero worship of Bush borders on the bizarre, but a woman from a joyless military family whose father was at least somewhat emotionally abusive (see the "promised horse" anecdote). Hughes comes across not as the "powerful woman" of her fantasy, but as a frightened and disempowered woman hiding behind, and basking in, the reflected power of male authority figures. Observes the Star Telegram: "Deeply religious like her boss, Hughes similarly sees a world of black and white and good vs. evil -- and perhaps even a presidency preordained by God to fight the war on terrorism. Drawing inspiration from the Old Testament on Sept. 11, 2001, she wonders whether Bush had won one the closest elections in American history and 'come to a royal position for such a time as this.'" Sad - and scary.

Karen Hughes, who appears to have a hopeless crush on Bush, if not a bizarre mothering fixation, is releasing the latest load of Bush propaganda this week. It will soon take its place in remainders bins along side Barbara's "My George is a nice boy and those Democrats are just so mean" memoir released last year (at least the copies not bought up by the truck load by Bush's corporate pals). Hugh's infantile assessment of America finally being told the truth: It's just a "Washington blame game," and "The only person responsible for the al-Qaida attacks on America was al-Qaida." Oh, really? Then why did we punish Afghanistan and Iraq? After all, the Al Queda folk on 9/11 were all Saudis. Boy, these Bushies are digging themselves deeper each time they open their mouths!

Dana Milbank reports, "Karen Hughes, now a $15,000-a-month consultant to the RNC, has been playing a key role in advising Bush and the administration on a communications strategy for the Iraq war. Hughes flew with Bush on Air Force One to the Azores on Sunday and helped to draft his speech to the nation delivered Monday night. Hughes briefed reporters in the White House on Monday in advance of Bush's speech, saying he would offer exile as the only option to avoid an attack. And Hughes, who officials say has worked from the White House for the past week, has played a key role in developing the administration's plan for a coordinated communications strategy during the Iraq war... Democrats complain that the presence of Hughes gives an inherently political tinge to the war effort. 'George Bush should be focused on winning this war and making sure our troops are safe, not on how his partisan campaign hacks are going to score political points in the aftermath,' said David Sirota."

Is her departure a response to criticism of Bu$h's abysmal foreign policy? Or is she paving the way for his own early retreat back to Texas? Or is she finally aware of the all the horror that she helped bring to power -- and she is now like Alec Guinness at the climax of "The Bridge on the River Kwai" lamenting, "My God, What Have I Done?"