Is Scotty McClellan on the Way Out?

Say it ain't so! Scotty's been so much fun to mock. Maybe Helen Thomas finally got to him.

CNN:

CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- Presidential press secretary Scott McClellan and Treasury Secretary John Snow could be next in a shake-up in the Bush administration, according to White House and GOP sources.

The possible departure of both men could be among "several senior-level staff" announcements to come within the next couple of weeks, said former White House staff members, GOP strategists and administration officials.

"You're going to have more change than you expect," one GOP insider said.
[...]
Under one scenario, Dan Bartlett, counselor to the president, would replace McClellan, Republican officials said.

Dan Bartlett? Helen would eat him for breakfast and spit him out all over the White House lawn. His style is much more vulnerable to reporters who would try to break him. He's another Republican automaton but he's no Scotty or Ari Fleischer.

As far as Snow goes, you'd be hard-pressed to find many people on either side of the political spectrum who would shed a tear over his departure. According to CNN, "You've got an economic team that can't communicate about the economy. You've had two terrible secretaries. He's seen as really bad," an official said."

No matter what happens, you can't put lipstick on a pig and expect to fool anyone into believing that it isn't actually still a pig. While it appears that Bush is furiously trying to save his political butt by finally acquiescing to staff changes, it's highly doubtful that any such shifts will affect his tanking poll numbers. The only thing that will restore the integrity of the White House at this point is a hand over to the Democrats. Everything else is just window dressing.