Are there any "Lightning Rods" of the Bush Administration?

I think George Bush had several cabinet members that were equally complicit in many of the colossal foul-ups that occurred on his eight year watch.

Yes.

Ashcroft, Gonzales, and Mukasey. That’s why the first two ended up back home and the last one ended up in the ER.

Can you think of any specific instances in other presidential administrations in which someone took the blame so that the president could get off easy?

Didn’t Richard Nixon have people trying to cover for him after the Watergate scandal erupted?

Another example that just popped to mind is Stephen Hadley taking the hits for the Plame scandal, and also for the “16 words” controversy in Bush’s 2003 SOTU.
If I remember correctly, the sixteen words were: The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.

Anyway, as far as another administration, Bob McNamara certainly took a lot of hits for both JFK and LBJ regarding the Vietnam War.

Thank you, I needed to find a real life example pertaining to the article “Presidential Lightning Rods” by Richard Ellis and I think you’ve done that for me! Thanks!

I think Donald Rumsfeld was definitely a lightning rod.

I haven’t heard of any. Of Course, I’m not an American. I spend some time in the USA, but I don’t hear everything that is afoot.