Misleader Makes Series of Misjudgments
Washington Post
With the
election just [under two months] away, there is a puzzle: How did a
[mis-]leader who was once so formidable become so vulnerable?
In small
ways, the answer is an accumulation of miscalculations and missed
opportunities that have marred Bush's political operation this year, in
the view of some Republicans inside that operation and others beyond
it. In a large way, however, Bush's predicament is less a reversal of
his 2002 success than a natural progression of it – the consequence of
two confrontations he sought that autumn.
To the
dismay of Democrats, who suspected he was manipulating national
security for political advantage, he invited the electorate two years
ago to judge him over the then-looming confrontation with Iraq. To the
delight of Democrats, it is precisely such judgments that polls say are
shadowing his re-[s]election campaign.
By the
same token, his decision to confront Democrats directly and immerse
himself in partisan electioneering ensured that he would face
re-[s]election with little of the rally-behind-the-leader sentiment
that flowed to him after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
(more)
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