From Pit Bull To President
The more likely explanation was that Bush, shaken by his disastrous slide in the polls, was retreating to foreign-policy issues in hopes of shoring up his presidency. Sure enough, his approval rating rebounded slightly through the week, a fact that many attributed to his return to Iraqibashing. But there was conflict among his advisers and the political price was high. In leading his divided party to a budget deal no one seemed to like, and in then abandoning his own election strategy, Bush had clearly weakened his claim to leadership in the next session of Congress....