by TChris

Until recently, the White House did a masterful job of maintaining control of its message. The message wasn't usually accurate, but at least the main players stayed on the same page as they parroted the administration's line.

Those days are gone, says Time.

Top Bush officials griped about what one called Rumsfeld's "destructive arrogance." Says the adviser: "You have no idea what it's like to deal with the United States of Rumsfeld." Colin Powell's closest aides, like chief of staff Larry Wilkerson, were quoted in GQ magazine, saying that Powell was weary of fighting ideological "utopians" in the Administration and being forced to do "damage control" and "apologizing around the world." Powell's foes, perhaps in retaliation, blamed him for being slow to decide to travel to the Middle East to help quell the furor over the abuse scandal. Says a senior Bush official of the open warfare: "It is not very conducive to a healthy working environment."

The White House will surely try to regroup, but Bush and those who surround him are natural finger-pointers. Keeping on message will grow increasingly difficult as the administration struggles to find a positive message to spread.