Fractured GOP Moves on Divergent Paths

"I think what you'll see is a return or a newfound emphasis on the conservative side of compassionate conservative," said Douglas J. Besharov, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, who consults with the White House on social policy matters. "The history of the phrase was meant to signal that 'I'm not one of those heartless conservatives. I'm a conservative with a heart.' "

Long before the White House began tacking to the right on immigration policy, GOP leaders were plotting a get-tough stand, driven by a growing concern among Western lawmakers about the porous nature of their states' borders with Mexico. Acting House Majority Leader Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said he hopes the House can take up an immigration and border security bill after the Thanksgiving break.

No matter how tough the White House gets, Republicans say the House will be tougher.

"We won't be hand in hand with the White House on immigration," Pryce said.

The political maneuvering has been touched off by GOP alarm over Bush's shrinking approval ratings and the growing public discontent over the war. After the indictment of a top vice presidential aide in the CIA leak case, congressional Democrats have been raising fresh questions about White House claims concerning Iraqi weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the war, with many saying Bush distorted intelligence to build support.

In his Veterans Day speech on Friday, Bush accused war critics of trying to reconstruct history. "The stakes in the global war on terror are too high and the national interest is too important for politicians to throw out false charges," he said.

Bush and other top White House officials will continue to forcefully dispute war critics, while doing more to focus public attention on the progress troops are making in Iraq, aides said. "Some of the critics are trying to rewrite their own voting records," said Nicolle Wallace, the White House communications director.

The new direction marks a significant shift for a president more accustomed to pursuing ambitious policy goals than defending past decisions. After winning reelection last year, Bush said he would invest his political capital in institution-altering initiatives. Among them: remaking the Social Security system, revising the tax code and rewriting the immigration laws.

But now, as he struggles to regain his political footing, Bush is forced to revisit the past. He also is scaling back his policy ambitions in an effort to win back public confidence and quell a growing rebellion among once-supportive congressional Republicans.

"His problem is not so much with social conservatives, or the part that cares about national security," said Michael Franc, vice president for government relations at the Heritage Foundation. "The part that has the most angst are those who care about the size and scope of the government. He needs to take control of a smarter and smaller government mandate."

There is widespread sentiment that House Republicans need to pull away from the White House, but it is not clear whether the strategy is wise, said one senior GOP House member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of crossing the leadership. The president's megaphone is so loud that a declaration of independence may be politically futile, he said. And ultimately, Bush has to sign the bills that reach his desk.

"Of course, we realize we have a lot of work to do. We read the polls," agreed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). "But we also know that to split into a bunch of different groups right now is probably the worst thing we can do."

Besides, the Democrats will tie congressional Republicans to Bush no matter what they do, just as Republicans morphed Democratic candidates into Bill Clinton in 1994, when Clinton was unpopular, said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"It's not possible after five years of being a rubber stamp for the House Republicans to make a declaration of independence now," Emanuel said. "They would have to reject everything they've done for the last five years, and they're not capable of that."