With friends like these....

The Cato Institute recently had a panel discussion... Two conservative authors, Former Reagan aide Bruce Bartlett and conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan, were extremely critical of the Bush Administration...

Bartlett is the author of "Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and betrayed the Reagan Legacy" and called the Bush Administration "unconscionable," "irresponsible," "vindictive" and "inept."

Sullivan, author of the upcoming book "The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It; How to Get It Back," called the President "reckless" and "a socialist," and accused him of betraying "almost every principle conservatism has ever stood for."

In other news... the House Republicans have set up a showdown with the White House over the Ports deal. “We believe that the U.S. should not allow a government-run company to operate American ports,” said Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert. President Bush has vowed to veto any bill that would block the sale.

I guess we really can't say that the Republicans are marching in lockstep with the White House, can we?