From the "Damning by Faint Praise" Department, here's Dan Bartlett, on the way out the door as White House counselor, reflecting in an interview with Anderson Cooper on the legacy of George W. Bush:

"The good thing about this president -- and I think this is the reason why he was reelected -- is that, when he's finished here, and at the same time I'm finished here in a couple of weeks, I can look in the mirror and say, 'I think we did what was best. I think we looked at all the issues. We tried our best to do the right thing for the country.'

"And I think the president will have the same mind-set when he returns to Texas at the end of his presidency. And at the end of the day, that's all you can expect. You may not always agree with him. But I think he's demonstrated that he's doing something -- the things that he is doing, however bold or aggressive or wrongheaded that some people think they are, he's doing what he thinks is best for this country."