Bruce Buchanan, a professor of political science at the University of Texas at Austin, said even the slightest bit of good news could be a plus for the president. “He’s not going to turn around his presidency or anything like that,” Mr. Buchanan said. “But what he might do is bump his numbers a little bit and get people to acknowledge that this guy is trying to serve the public interest.” One issue the American public has a keen interest in is the price of oil a topic that created some embarrassment for Mr. Bush in January. At that time, with gas prices already on the rise, Mr. Bush appealed to the Saudi oil minister to give Americans some relief by increasing production and was publicly rebuffed. He then made a private appeal to King Abdullah, with little result. Mr. Hadley said he was confident Mr. Bush would try again.
The New York Times
As Bush Term Wanes, Mideast Peace Appears as Elusive as Ever
(May 11)
