In an Election Year, GOP Wary of Following Bush

Analysis

In an Election Year, GOP Wary of Following Bush

By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 10, 2006; Page A06

When President Bush and senior adviser Karl Rove mapped out plans for a political comeback in 2006, this was nowhere on the script. Suddenly, the collapse of a port-management deal neither even knew about a month ago has devastated the White House and raised questions about its ability to lead even fellow Republicans.

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"He has no political capital," said Tony Fabrizio, a Republican pollster. "Slowly but surely it's been unraveling. There's been a direct correlation between the trajectory of his approval numbers and the -- I don't want to call it disloyalty -- the independence on the part of the Republicans in Congress."

The port deal has troubled Republicans not just on the substance of the issue but also on the president's handling of it. The White House failed to anticipate the frenzy that would be touched off by the prospect of an Arab company managing U.S. ports, and many Republicans believe that Bush exacerbated the situation with a rash veto threat.

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The port deal has provided ammunition to Democrats who have begun making the case more broadly that Bush is in over his head. Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) yesterday called the port situation a "case study in the administration's incompetence," and Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) said the administration "was clearly asleep at the switch" and "bungled the oversight of this deal."

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Bush's Loss on Ports Deal Dents Image, Exposes Rifts (Update1)

March 10 (Bloomberg) -- The collapse of a plan to let a Dubai company manage U.S. ports marks another setback for President George W. Bush, exposing deteriorating relations with fellow Republicans and underscoring a perception of incompetence stemming from the government's response to Hurricane Katrina.

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The debate also let Democrats gain the upper hand on national security, an issue that has always been a strong suit for Bush. Democratic strategists said the controversy could lessen the Republican advantage on that issue.

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``Departments didn't talk to departments, agencies didn't talk to agencies, and then, once the news reached the White House, the White House didn't think to talk to Congress,'' Galen said. ``It's almost unprecedented.''

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Tom Rath, Republican national committeeman from New Hampshire, said the controversy reflected the realities of an election year. ``It's March, and there are congressional elections in November, and at some point it's every person for himself,'' he said.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a4iBfcX36pK4