George Bush ran a terrible midterm campaign, but he made a fast recovery the day after the election by dumping Rumsfeld. He stole the cable headlines and the front pages from Nancy Pelosi.

In 1994, President Clinton stumbled and staggered for weeks while Newt Gingrich dominated the news. Bush was savvy enough to avoid that mistake. He put himself back into play with one bold, audacious stroke.

In politics, speed kills – the other guy.

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