Bush presidency enters terminal phase
July 4, 2007

There may be moments during their summit at his family's compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, when President George W Bush may look with envy on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, whose popularity at home guarantees him vast influence even as he prepares to leave office just nine months from now.

Not so for Bush, whose public approval ratings, according to polls released in just the past week, have reached all-time lows and whose influence - even over his own party - appears to be declining at warp speed.
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In last week's CBS poll, 23% of respondents said they approved of his handling of the war, while 70%, including one-third of all self-identified Republicans, said they disapproved. Moreover, a whopping 77% of respondents said the war was going either "somewhat" (30%) or "very badly" (47%).

A record 40% said all troops should be withdrawn, while another 26% said they favored a decreasing the number of troops there now. A CNN poll taken a few days before showed similar numbers.

With elections 16 months away, Republican incumbents are increasingly aware that Bush/Cheney has become a serious drag on their political aspirations. And, as the election draws near, the pressure to break with the White House - absent a major change of course, at least in Iraq - will become irresistible, just as it did last week on the immigration bill.

Happy 4th of July, ppj.