TLB, George W. Bush is not influenced by self-absorbed egotists (sorry for the redundance) who think they are influencing him by "keeping his feet to the fire." The decision he makes, whether that be to stay out of the fray, or to come down against affirmative action, will be based on what is best for the country, not on threats coming from the right OR the left.
(And it humors me to think that there are actually people who think that what happened to Lott was because of what "Bush did to him." How badly must you need to blame everything you don't like on the President. Unbelieveable).