Bush fighting to regain confidence of Americans.
Five months after starting his second term with high hopes, President Bush is struggling to regain the confidence of Americans concerned about the direction of the Iraq war and the U.S. economy.
With his job approval rating slumping to 42 percent in a poll by The New York Times and CBS News, down from 51 percent in the aftermath of the November election, Bush has begun an effort to refocus his presidency -- a move welcomed by anxious Republicans.
"I think Bush is in the process of regaining his footing, and focusing on real dinner-table issues," Republican consultant Scott Reed said.
Bush began his second term in January with an ambitious plan to overhaul the Social Security retirement program but it has failed to gain traction on Capitol Hill and many Americans are skeptical. The preoccupation over Social Security figured in the delay of his promised attempt to overhaul the tax code.
At the same time, he got caught up -- some Republicans say sidetracked -- in a battle on Capitol Hill over whether a brain-damaged Florida woman, Terri Schiavo, should be kept alive.
Then came a fight in the Senate over arcane rules about filibusters involving Bush's judicial nominees, and a protracted fight over his nominee to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton.
Some Republicans believe those issues proved to be a distraction from Bush's agenda and showed he was out of touch.
The Iraqi insurgency also intensified, with increasingly brazen suicide bomb attacks despite Vice President Dick Cheney's bold assertion the rebellion was in its "last throes." At home, soaring gasoline prices took a bigger bite out of household budgets.
The White House is now scrambling to right the ship.
"In the weeks ahead, I will continue to focus on ways to ensure that our government takes the side of working families, and that America prevails in the war on terror," Bush said in his weekly radio address on Saturday.
Bush has a particularly tough task when it comes to Iraq amid a rising death toll and questions by Democrats about whether U.S. intelligence had been "fixed" around a policy that would inevitably lead to war with Iraq.
The theme will be to reassure Americans the war has been worth it and to urge patience in the goal of getting Iraqis trained sufficiently to allow U.S. troops to come home.
The Times/CBS poll said only 37 percent approved of Bush's handling of Iraq, down from 45 percent in February, while 51 percent thought the United States should have stayed out of Iraq, a slight drop from findings throughout the spring.
(6-19-05, The Washington Post.)
With his job approval rating slumping to 42 percent in a poll by The New York Times and CBS News, down from 51 percent in the aftermath of the November election, Bush has begun an effort to refocus his presidency -- a move welcomed by anxious Republicans.
"I think Bush is in the process of regaining his footing, and focusing on real dinner-table issues," Republican consultant Scott Reed said.
Bush began his second term in January with an ambitious plan to overhaul the Social Security retirement program but it has failed to gain traction on Capitol Hill and many Americans are skeptical. The preoccupation over Social Security figured in the delay of his promised attempt to overhaul the tax code.
At the same time, he got caught up -- some Republicans say sidetracked -- in a battle on Capitol Hill over whether a brain-damaged Florida woman, Terri Schiavo, should be kept alive.
Then came a fight in the Senate over arcane rules about filibusters involving Bush's judicial nominees, and a protracted fight over his nominee to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton.
Some Republicans believe those issues proved to be a distraction from Bush's agenda and showed he was out of touch.
The Iraqi insurgency also intensified, with increasingly brazen suicide bomb attacks despite Vice President Dick Cheney's bold assertion the rebellion was in its "last throes." At home, soaring gasoline prices took a bigger bite out of household budgets.
The White House is now scrambling to right the ship.
"In the weeks ahead, I will continue to focus on ways to ensure that our government takes the side of working families, and that America prevails in the war on terror," Bush said in his weekly radio address on Saturday.
Bush has a particularly tough task when it comes to Iraq amid a rising death toll and questions by Democrats about whether U.S. intelligence had been "fixed" around a policy that would inevitably lead to war with Iraq.
The theme will be to reassure Americans the war has been worth it and to urge patience in the goal of getting Iraqis trained sufficiently to allow U.S. troops to come home.
The Times/CBS poll said only 37 percent approved of Bush's handling of Iraq, down from 45 percent in February, while 51 percent thought the United States should have stayed out of Iraq, a slight drop from findings throughout the spring.
(6-19-05, The Washington Post.)
posted by Sid Cottingham | 1:12 PM
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