A Polarizing Bush Despite a New Cast

From The New York Times:

Mr. Bush, by temperament, governing style and political design, is a polarizing president like no other, pollsters say. And no reshuffling of administration staff members or an incremental wave of good news is likely to change that.

Experts have noted that American politics has in general grown far more partisan recently, a trend bound to be reflected in attitudes toward a president.

But it is hard to ignore the effect of Mr. Bush’s political and policy decisions, which have often seemed tailored for his conservative base and, by definition, for galvanizing Democratic opposition.

Mr. Bush heads into a month expected to be dominated by debate over a war unpopular with independents and Democrats, a debate that could harden attitudes and partisan divisions on his presidency. Even with the departure of Mr. Gonzales, Mr. Rove and, before them, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, a fresh start seems very hard.