Four years on, war costs Bush at home and abroad

Four years on, war costs Bush at home and abroad

By David Alexander
Sat Mar 17, 10:42 AM ET


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070317/pl_nm/iraq_usa_bush_dc;_ylt=AjGOiqSylIMvpbknhfOGZk2MwfIE

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four years after he began the Iraq war, a diminished President George W. Bush has sacrificed much of his domestic agenda and eroded U.S. credibility abroad in pursuit of the sort of nation-building he once scorned, analysts say.


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He forfeited the dream of cementing Republican control over Congress and his administration is increasingly under fire from Democrats and Republicans alike.

"There is simply no question in my mind that the Iraq war has substantially undercut Bush's ability to get other things done domestically or internationally," said Richard Eichenberg, a professor at Tufts University who has studied Bush's approval ratings.

"When he was re-elected in the fall of 2004 he interpreted the election ... by saying that 'I have political capital. I'm going to spend it.' But the fact of the matter is he's spent it all on Iraq and he's got precious little left," Eichenberg said.