President Bush is doing more campaigning for his fellow Republicans than he did four years ago, hoping to dash Democratic dreams of taking control of Congress in November.
Bush spent Friday stumping for Republicans in Washington and New Mexico in an effort to capitalize on political momentum created by the recent death of Iraq?s top terrorist and the news that White House strategist Karl Rove will not be indicted in the CIA leak case.
Administration officials were also heartened by Friday?s House vote on the Iraq war, which exposed a major split among Democrats. While only three Republicans broke ranks by voting against the resolution, 42 Democrats crossed party lines to support the measure, which rules out a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.
“We don?t even have a party position on the war,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters after the resolution passed 256-153. “We don?t ask members to do one thing or another.”
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., pooh-poohed a document in which al-Qaida bemoaned its “bleak situation” and complained that American forces are gaining the upper hand. The document was one of many in what the U.S. military called a “treasure trove” of intelligence gathered during a series of raids on terrorist strongholds in Iraq.
“This is something they found, supposedly, in the rubble,” Reid told reporters. “Even the president now acknowledges that the violence isn?t going to stop.”
Yet Bush has been buoyed by the death of Iraq?s top terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, at the hands of U.S. forces in Iraq. As a result, instead of avoiding the issue of Iraq, the president appears to be embracing it as he stumps for fellow Republicans.
On Friday, he flew to Washington state to campaign for Rep. David Reichert and then headed to New Mexico to headline a reception for Rep. Heather Wilson.
The president, first lady Laura Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have each made more campaign appearances so far this election cycle than in the comparable period of 2002, when Republicans increased their majorities in both the House and Senate.
Earlier in the week, Bush flatly predicted the GOP would retain control of both chambers.
