New tactic: Let Bush be Bush
2006-04-02 21:09
Crawford - George W Bush is
taking time to explain himself, open up to the public in new
ways and court the US congress as he tries to breathe life
into a presidency beset by sagging ratings and influence.
With a job-approval rating under 40%, Bush, who went
to his Crawford ranch for a quiet weekend, has a long way to
go.
Aides acknowledge it will take a while to rebuild his
image, and much will depend on the outcome of the Iraq war.
White House staffers, who have long limited the president's
appearances to speeches and photo opportunities with little
contact with regular people, are now inclined to let Bush be
Bush.
He is talking at length. His March 21 news conference
lasted nearly an hour.
A Freedom House speech with questions
from the audience in Washington on Wednesday went on for an
hour and a half.
Bush even took questions from gray-haired retirees at a
senior citizens' home recently and they asked some tough ones.
More such sessions are planned.
"The president enjoys the open question-and-answer
formats," White House spokesperson Scott McClellan said.
"The more
we can put him in settings where people can get a better sense
of his thinking and his beliefs, the better."
Bush acknowledges mistakes in Iraq, but, to the
consternation of his critics, he is not outlining any shift in
his strategy there.
Democrats are not impressed by the more-open Bush.
"The
president can give all the speeches he wants but nothing will
change the fact that his Iraq policy is wrong," said senate
Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
Aware that Iraqi leaders and members of the US military
are watching for any change in his attitude, Bush is insistent
that his is the proper course for trying to bring a lasting
democracy to Iraq.
"I believe 30 years from now, people are going to look back
at this moment and say, thank goodness a generation of
Americans stood up and said, we have faith in democracy," he
said at Freedom House.
Staff changes considered
The incoming Bush chief of staff, Josh Bolten, is
considering staff changes to re-energize the White House for
Bush's remaining two years and nine months in office, a period
in which he insists he will pursue his agenda as aggressively
as ever.
Republican members of congress have regularly faulted the
White House for failing to listen to their advice, and with
their political future up for grabs in November midterm
elections, are increasingly willing to break ranks with Bush.
With that in mind, there is a greater emphasis at the White
House on courting congress, a move prompted in particular by
the disastrous collapse of the Dubai ports deal last month,
when Bush's fellow Republicans revolted against him.
In recent weeks members of congress have been invited over
to the White House for sessions on immigration reform, health
care, the line-item veto and other issues.
Even Bush's opponent in the 2004 presidential election,
Massachusetts Democratic senator John Kerry, and the Democratic
leader in the house of representatives, Nancy
Pelosi, have been seen at the White House.
Aides said Bolten, during his first day after he was
announced as the new chief of staff, telephoned 30 key
lawmakers to ensure they knew the White House was listening.
As part of the staff changes, under consideration is
bringing in a prominent Republican, perhaps a former member of
congress such as Bill Paxon, or former senator Dan Coats, to act as a liaison with members of
congress, Republicans said.
First lady Laura Bush told CNN's "Larry King Live" recently
that Bush is handling the stress well having witnessed the one
term of his father, former President George Bush.
"We knew what we were getting into," she said. "Certainly,
we didn't know how extremely difficult and challenging these
years would be for our country because of September 11th.
But
on the other hand, we knew to expect the unexpected, that
that's what happens."