Bush Commands the Spotlight

For the first time in over a year, President Bush will hold a prime-time news conference tonight, at 8:30 p.m. ET.

His goal: Stop the bleeding.

Friday marks the end of the first 100 days of Bush's second term. And Sunday marks the end of his 60-day Social Security barnstorming tour.

As Bush approaches those mileposts, many observers are noting his low approval ratings and his lack of progress in achieving some key initiatives and they wonder: Has the president overreached? Has he lost his touch? Is he already a lame duck?

Tonight's news conference creates an opportunity for Bush to assert that he is still relevant, enthusiastically reaffirm his domestic and international agendas, and ask the American people directly for their support.

I wrote in Monday's column that Bush was in grave danger of losing the spotlight. Tonight, in no uncertain terms, he grabs it back.

Press secretary Scott McClellan said yesterday that Bush will start the evening off with a 10-12 minute speech in which he'll "talk in more specific ways" about resolving Social Security's future funding shortfalls. Bush has come under increasing pressure from legislators in his own party to say precisely how he wants to do that -- since he has acknowledged that his proposed private accounts wouldn't actually help.

McClellan said Bush will also talk about high gasoline prices and his energy bill.

Bill Plante reported on CBS News this morning: "There's a reason for this of course: The president's agenda is in trouble. Energy prices are going higher, as his energy bill goes nowhere. And he hasn't made many converts to his plan to reform Social Security. So tonight, he'll make an attempt to make those arguments again to a wider audience. . . .

"As his second term begins, the president is going through what one Washington veteran calls 'a bad patch.' "

ABC News takes a look at Bush's press conference history. Today's will be his fourth prime-time press conference, and his 18th solo press conference, since taking office.

His last prime-time press conference was on April 13, 2004 , and is probably best remembered for the press's relentless attempt to get him to acknowledge that he'd done something -- anything -- wrong.