He can then turn the tables on the howler monkeys, and demonstrate that their feigned concern is nothing more than self-serving partisanship and betrayal of trust.
In other words, he wins if he takes the high ground. The Democrats (and a notable handful of "republicans") can never rise from their sewer, so he needn't fear any challenge for the position.
All the "poo" flinging comes from the left. Bush needs some designated attack dogs who won't hesitate to kick the lying backstabbing politicians of both parties in the teeth. He can keep the high ground and let his bulldogs take care of the nasty bits.