With the White House up for grabs, Democrats are more willing to stand their ground. And Bush’s influence among fellow Republicans is waning as the torch is about to be passed to McCain. “It gives him less room to maneuver,” said Bruce Buchanan, a University of Texas political scientist and longtime Bush watcher. Buchanan said the president has won most past showdowns with Congress on Iraq and other national security issues and expected to win the one on surveillance powers. “But the House Democrats called him on it.”
The Washington Post
Partisanship Back After Brief Respite
(Feb. 15)
