Advisers let Bush be Bush

It's very clear, from watching the president perform at his press conference today, that his staff has made a decision: Put the president out there so he can show his passion on Iraq. That's why he has been answering unscreened questions as he travels around the country lately, and that's why he met with the press–and plans to do so almost monthly. I remember the point during the first GWB campaign for president in 2000, when the staff–after the New Hampshire GOP primary, where he had taken a drubbing from Sen. John McCain–decided to let Bush be Bush.

Well, here it goes again.

In many ways, it worked. What we saw today was the president's passion about Iraq. We also saw a president adept at deflecting questions about his staff. In an answer about whether a staff shake-up might be good for internal morale–which I'm told is sagging–the president said that his staff has his confidence. However, he did not rule out changes either–although my feeling is that not much can happen at the very highest levels of the White House until the CIA leak investigation is resolved and the White House learns whether Karl Rove will be indicted.

The president, who remains loyal to many of his staff–some of whom have been with him for decades–made it clear that he appreciates their loyalty, too.

"We've been a remarkably stable administration," he said–and that is true.

What did not ring true is the president's insistence that he listens to members of Congress. Sure, some Republicans visit the White House on a regular schedule, but they don't feel as if they are listened to regularly. Which is why, when the Dubai ports controversy erupted, the president did not have a reservoir of goodwill on Capitol Hill to draw down. So Republicans went their own way.

The question now is whether the president will be presiding over Republicans who continue to go their own way–through the 2006 midterm elections. When Bush was re-elected, he said he would use his political capital. Today he admitted he had spent an awful lot of it on Iraq. This is all a part of trying to get it back–both with his own party and with the public at large.