Texas Senator Bucks Trend, Stands Solidly by Bush

On the war, however, he has been unwavering in his support of Bush.

Cornyn has sided with Bush on a series of controversial, war-related issues. He endorsed a White House proposal for trying "unlawful enemy combatants" that sought to limit Geneva Conventions protections. When the National Security Agency's secret program to intercept international telephone calls from the United States was revealed, Cornyn called it a "useful tool" to protect Americans from terrorism. He was one of nine senators to oppose an amendment to ban the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" against anyone in U.S. government custody.

Some Republican war supporters, most notably Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), have harshly criticized Bush's handling of the conflict. Cornyn resists any such talk. In a recent CNN interview, Wolf Blitzer put him on the spot with the question, "How much of a credibility problem does the Bush administration have right now?"

Cornyn smoothly deflected. "Well, the problem is, Wolf, we have so many members of the United States Senate who are running for 2008, I think we need to put this in a larger context. But the fact of the matter is that we need to do whatever we can to protect our troops. And the fact is that the Iranians are very much involved in what's happening in Iraq right now."

Pressed on the subject in an interview, Cornyn conceded, "Clearly no war is going to proceed without mistakes, and I think there have been mistakes made."

Cornyn is not surprised that some of his Republican colleagues are turning skittish on Bush. "That's a function of the president's [poor] approval rating. When it's soaring, people are rallying around him. When his numbers are in the tank, that is diminished. But I really do believe that this is more important than the next election and who's up and who's down in Washington," Cornyn said.

The lack of daylight between Bush and Cornyn, particularly over the war, has raised a few eyebrows among Democrats and within Texas political circles.

"He needs to more clearly stand on his own two feet and stop saying, 'I agree with the president,' " said Cal Jillson, a Southern Methodist University political scientist.

"Even in Texas, total fidelity to George Bush is not the wisest move, substantively or politically," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), the Senate Democrats' campaign chairman. "The whole world is changing. There's an opening in every part of the country, including in Texas, like there wasn't even five years ago."

Democrats' political prospects in Texas brightened considerably last year, after a Democrat captured the seat of former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R) in the general election and Democrat Ciro Rodriguez won a surprisingly convincing victory over Rep. Henry Bonilla (R), in a December runoff election in the massive 23rd Congressional District.

A few weeks later, the Texas Blue, a progressive Web site, raised the question of Cornyn's potential vulnerability. The evidence: two years of monthly tracking polls that showed Cornyn's job approval rating barely breaking 45 percent and a random sample of Texas residents conducted in December that detected a slight shift in favor toward Democrats.

Cornyn questioned the tracking poll's methodology, noting the firm, Survey USA, relies on recorded "robocalls," rather than using live agents to query voters. But his reaction suggested he had seen the numbers. He has raised $3.2 million for his 2008 campaign, more than any other incumbent GOP senator.

"I'm preparing for whatever happens," Cornyn said.