Is Bush Losing Congress?

"The combined loss of DeLay's leadership in the House, where he was the main enforcer of the Republican agenda, and the shift of political focus to another alleged ethics misstep, is a double blow to the president at a time when he cannot easily bounce back from it, political observers said yesterday."

Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey write on Newsweek.com that Bush and DeLay were not bosom buddies: "Bush has never campaigned for DeLay, who is one of the few Texas politicians in Washington the president doesn't socialize with. As a result, DeLay's indictment is unlikely to upset many White House officials. Bush's aides offered only tepid support for the majority leader earlier this year, as speculation swirled about his demise. When pushed on the nature of DeLay's friendship with the president, Bush's aides like to say they aren't close. . . .

"The White House has little to gain from jumping into the sewer with DeLay, even if it has gained handsomely from DeLay's work in the past. Bush's aides like to cite DeLay's effectiveness as a leader, suggesting their warm feelings will disappear as soon as he becomes ineffective."

Bush to Congress: Pay Attention

Ironically, just a few hours before news of the DeLay indictment swept through Washington, Bush was taking an unusually transparent step to patch up support for the Iraq war on the Hill.

Bush made brief remarks in the Rose Garden after meeting with Gens. John Abizaid and George Casey. He virtually begged members of Congress to pay attention to the two men.

"I asked the Generals to go up to Capitol Hill to brief members of the House and Senate on our strategy for victory, on our operations in Iraq," Bush said.

"Members of Congress will get the latest information about our strategy. And I want to thank them for taking time out of their schedules to listen to these two -- to these two Generals."

And again: "I urge the members of Congress to attend the briefings with Generals Abizaid and Casey."

And again: "As members of Congress speak with Generals Abizaid and Casey, I'm confident they'll see what I see -- our leaders, these two Generals are men of vision and determination, and it is their leadership that is helping bring victory in the war on terror."

Bush's Own Strategy: Repetition

There may be a lack of clarity when it comes to U.S. strategy in Iraq, but Bush's message strategy couldn't be clearer.

Mark Silva writes in the Chicago Tribune: "As the gulf between Bush's viewpoint on the war and views held by some members of Congress and the public grows wider, the president has pressed ahead with an unshakable certitude, restating his strategy again and again, with an apparent faith that people will come to understand it. . . .

"This ceaseless hammering of a message has become a hallmark for Bush, a faith in repetition that he has applied to his plans for Social Security as well, yet the replaying of the messages has not achieved their desired effects.