Bush to make Rose Garden announcement at 11:35; Update: Newsmax says Bolton likely out; Update: Fizzle

According to Fox, which started hyping it 20 minutes ago. They’re speculating that because it follows a cabinet meeting, he’s going to announce new personnel changes. Bolton’s not a member of the cabinet but he’d logically be next, especially given Biden’s comments this morning:

Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is expected to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee if Democratic control of the U.S. Senate is formally confirmed, told reporters:

“I never saw a real enthusiasm (for Bolton’s nomination) on the Republican side to begin with. There’s none on our side. And I think John Bolton’s going nowhere.”

Feel free to theorize in the comments. In the meantime, chew on this:

Senior White House officials said the Rumsfeld resignation had been discussed for weeks, coming as the violence intensified in Iraq and a growing number of critics — including Republicans — called for the secretary’s firing.

Several weeks ago, with the White House’s own internal polls showing Democrats making gains on antiwar sentiment, Mr. Bush and a few top aides began a series of secret meetings to discuss what he knew would be an explosive announcement.

Was Rumsfeld’s firing supposed to be the October surprise that Rove promised, but which never materialized?

John Warner says they’re going to try to push Gates through before the new Senate is seated.

Update: More food for thought. The Wall Street Journal wants to know: what role did Bob Gates, then-deputy NSA under Brent Scowcroft, play in convincing Bush I not to support the Shiite uprising against Saddam in 1991?

One reason the Iraqi government of Nouri al-Maliki has had such a hard time dismantling Shiite militias is because Shiites fear that it’s only a matter of time before the U.S. abandons them again and they will have to confront the Sunni Baathist insurgency on their own. If President Bush wants to reassure Shiites on this score and about Mr. Gates, he should announce that the recent efforts to appease the Sunni terrorist political fronts in Iraq have failed.

We presume Mr. Gates will be grilled about these and other issues during his confirmation hearings. He should be.

Bob Owens agrees.

Update: Maybe he’s going to formally repudiate the Bush doctrine.

Update: I like this theory at Free Republic:

Cheney is resigning; Rumsfeld nominated to replace him…

Update: Not sure if this is what Bush is planning to announce, but Newsmax says Bolton is done:

NewsMax has learned that U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton will likely leave his post next month.

After a rocky series of Senate confirmation hearings, Bolton was sent to the U.N. by President Bush in August 2005 under a recess appointment. That allowed the president to bypass Senate confirmation while it was in recess, but the appointee could only serve for the length of the current Congress which is set to expire at year’s end…

“This nomination is dead and we have known it for several days,” a source close to the U.S. mission to the U.N. tells NewsMax.

Update: Nothing happened in the Rose Garden. Standard yadda about working with the opposition and the upcoming legislative agenda. Oh well.

Update: The fact that nothing happened is what makes this so noteworthy, says Tammy Bruce:

I now have to face the possibility that Bolton may be tossed overboard because the president did not mention him in his press conference just a moment ago. President Bush issued a list of things he wants the current congress to pass before the changeover at the end of the year. Confirming Bolton was not among them.

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