Talking to the Portraits

Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times, still on her knees transcribing for the White House:

"[E]ven as White House officials and Republicans say that Mr. Rove is human and that the leak investigation has taken an enormous toll on his family, they also insist that everyone is focused on the work at hand, and that Mr. Rove is good at compartmentalizing his life."

David Gergen,once upon a time White House communications director:

"Bill, I was in the Nixon White House during Watergate, and we pretended that we were all about business as usual. And we had a president who was talking to the portraits. It was not business as usual, but you have to say it."