this one paragraph, buried inside a story about something else, tells me a lot more than any article could provide. this is the way the bushites work. get too comfy with 'the people' and your job is in jeopardy. from a Seattle paper :

In January, Republican leaders removed Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., as committee chairman for being too close to veterans groups, too supportive of expanding benefits and too dismissive of Bush administration plans to slow VA spending and impose fees on low-priority veterans.