Backfires? Really? How do you explain Bush's ratings plummeting to 50%? Some of these charges, while not sticking to the Pres, ARE in fact tainting his image. He continues to refrain from fighting back at his own (and our) peril. Reticence to engage in combat is why I've dropped support for Cheney as VP, and would love to see Rice there... Frist and Hastert have equally been disasters... Thank God for DeLay and Talk Radio.
Most of the polls that came out last week actually stabilized, and two rose.
I agree Frist is a disaster, but I think Hastert has been quietly effective. You certainly can't blame the House for failing to move most of the conservative agenda forward.
The real dilemma is that no conservative, including Bush, can "do" the kinds of things with government that would give him the publicity that generates news. The tax cuts have to work their magic, Iraq will continue to pacify, and so on. He could, and should, take an activist stand on border control immigration.
Nevertheless, Rove and the WH team are not undefeated in four election cycles, including two in Texas, one mid-term, and 2000. I trust them, more than Freepers, to know what they are doing. Whatever they think they have in the "new tone," the final fact is that it IS Bush. He isn't going to change, and apparently Rove and others think this is a key to winning.They said a year ago, when Bush's ratings were in the 70s, that the election would be close. Many here thought they were sandbagging, but I learned my lesson on that in 2000.