In over his head: What is sad about this story is the fact that White House aides are still so deluded that they think they’d be better off if President Bush actually ran the show:

Embattled White House aides have begun to believe President Bush must take the reins personally if his evaporating agenda and credibility are to be salvaged.

Bush has been advised to make staff changes, but “He thinks that would be an admission he’s screwed up, and he can’t bring himself to do that,” said one official.

“We’re just plodding along,” admitted a senior Bush aide from deep within the West Wing bunker. “It’s up to the President to turn things around now.”

Even as his poll numbers tank, however, Bush is described by aides as still determined to stay the course. He resists advice from Republicans who fear disaster in next year’s congressional elections, and rejects criticism from a media establishment he disdains.

“The President has always been willing to make changes,” the senior aide said, “but not because someone in this town tells him to – NEVER!”

For the moment, Bush has dismissed discreetly offered advice from friends and loyalists to fire Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and bring back longtime confidant Karen Hughes from the State Department to shore up his personal White House staff.

“He thinks that would be an admission he’s screwed up, and he can’t bring himself to do that,” a former senior staffer lamented.

So aides have circled the wagons as Bush’s woes mount, partly hoping they can sell the President on a December blitz of media interviews to help turn the tide.

“The staff basically still has an unyielding belief in the wisdom of what they’re doing,” a close Bush confidant said. “They’re talking to people who could help them, but they’re not listening.”