MORE THAN A FEELING:

President Trump's declaration that "I don't have an attorney general" was not merely the cry of an executive feeling betrayed by a subordinate.

It was also a raw expression of vulnerability and anger from a president who associates say increasingly believes he is unprotected -- with the Russia investigation steamrolling ahead, anonymous administration officials seeking to undermine him and the specter of impeachment proceedings, should the Democrats retake the House on Nov. 6. [...]

"Everybody in the White House now has to look around and ask, 'Who's taping? Who's leaking? And who's on their way out the door?' It's becoming a game of survival," said a Republican strategist who works in close coordination with the White House, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly.

Some of Trump's allies believe he has legitimate cause for worry.

"The president should feel vulnerable because he is vulnerable -- to those that fight him daily on implementing his agenda," Stephen K. Bannon, a former chief White House strategist, wrote in a text message.

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