Ari is leaving for a comfortable job where he won't have to see the White House Press Idiots, except on TV:

It could have been an episode from The West Wing called "Two Spin Doctors": the public spokesmen for George Bush and Tony Blair both announced yesterday that they were standing down.

Excitable journalists at Westminster sensed an obvious explanation. Was Godric Smith, the Prime Minister's official spokesman, leaving Downing Street to replace Ari Fleischer, who is to quit the same post at the White House?

Alas, the script was too good to be true. Although Bill Clinton once jokingly offered Alastair Campbell a job at the White House, the timing of yesterday's announcements was a coincidence.

The Independent has the worst writers, except for Robert Fisk, who is a peer among NY Times writers.

Update: As if to confirm my thoughts on the Independent, there's this.