It's called Briar Patch politics. Bush is a master of it. He did and he didn't. If we win the Senate and don't lose the House, he won't have to play this game with the Dems so much.
P.S. He is playing with their minds, not with yours. So don't waste any energy chasing your tail on this one. It's only a habit that dogs (i.e. journalists) can't seem to break.