Jon Chait, one of my favorite writers, flags Weekly Standard columnist Fred Barnes reaching new heights of obsequiousness:

What gives today’s piece its special
status, perhaps marking it as the best Barnes piece ever, is the twist at the end.
Barnes congratulates Bush for ignoring the advice that he, Fred Barnes, had given
him. A few weeks ago, Barnes urged in print that Bush carry out a dramatic staff
shakeup. Today Barnes acknowledges that Bush has not done so and, in the style of a
Maoist self-criticism session, praises him for doing it:

The changes are not likely to constitute a facelift that gives the Bush administration
an entirely new look. Such a makeover would risk making the president appear
desperate. A far-reaching transformation had been proposed–by me, anyway–as a
way to rejuvenate the Bush presidency, shock the media and the political community,
and dominate the news for weeks. Instead, Bolten is taking a more prudent, gradual
and, in the cases of Rove and McClellan, sensible approach.

Got that? If he followed Barnes’s advice, Bush would look “desperate.” So instead
he’s taking a more “prudent” and “sensible” course than the one urged by Barnes
himself. All hail the maximum leader!