[+/-] Bush Retreats Into Private, Paranoid World

Capitol Hill Blue reports that a sullen President George W. Bush is withdrawing more and more from aides and senior staff, retreating into a private, paranoid world where only the ardent loyalists are welcome. Bush’s erratic behavior and sharp mood swings led White House physician Col. Richard J. Tubb to put the President on powerful anti-depressant drugs.

White House aides say the West Wing has been overtaken by a "siege mentality," where phone calls and emails are monitored and everyone is under suspicion for "disloyalty to the crown."

One long-time GOP political consultant who asked not to be identified says he is advising his Republican Congressional candidates to keep their distance from Bush.

"We have to face the very real possibility that the President of the United States is loony tunes," he says sadly. "That’s not good for my candidates, it’s not good for the party and it’s certainly not good for the country."