The prob is the weakness in the Republican bench. Bush has a majority on paper, but in political reality, he can't count on all the R's to stand with him in a big fight.
It's not the Rats he's running from. It's that he knows he the quarterback of a team that only puts 8 men on the field. The plays have to adjust when there's only half an offensive line and half a defense.
This is a very relevant point.
I mean, what would he have done had he had a Senate Majority Leader?
(Of course....guess who lobbied hard to make sure Frist got that job? Frist was the White House's man. I guess they wanted someone they could control. They got that, but they also got someone who can't deliver the RINOs).