The annoying porky items make good symbolism, but they're the least of our worries. They make good gripes, but Bush's fiscal legacy is expanding Medicare, just as his father's regulatory legacy was the Americans With Disabilities Act. It's amazing how much damage those Bushes can do by being nice.
Bad news for Bush: That CBS bad news for Bush poll of SC voters confirms the rumbles I'm hearing. At least some people who usually vote Republican think Bush lied to start a war against Saddam, which he pursued for reasons of his own. Others are worried about the economy.
If Bush loses the election, it will be because he doesn't talk to the American people often enough or in enough detail. Hiding in the White House and issuing the occasional cliche does not constitute making your case. He lets his opponents shape not just the high-level discussion but the shorthand ideas that filter down to the general public: Hence "Bush lied" has become conventional wisdom. Or take the immigration-reform program, which addresses a serious issue in a serious way. When the only person you sell the policy to is Vincente Fox, people naturally think you're at best pandering to Latino voters--who, incidentally, have a much greater interest in citizenship than President Fox, who doesn't want to lose constituents.