More Fallout From That Growing Mess in the Mideast
The crisis in Lebanon and Israel is undermining one of the main rationales for George W. Bush's foreign policy--that the war in Iraq would result in a peaceful, more stable Middle East. And rising concerns about Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria, and Iran--not to mention North Korea--are shaking Americans' confidence in the president's leadership. Conservatives, neo- and otherwise, are fuming over Bush's newfound multilateral approach to international problems. The result: Pollsters say both Democrats and Republicans are increasingly worried that Bush has lost his earlier reputation as a strong leader who got things done.
The image of the president as increasingly ineffectual is also spreading to domestic affairs. Bush's refrain that the economy is soaring is accurate, as far as it goes. Productivity and job growth have been impressive. But Bush seems powerless to change the fact that many working Americans haven't seen much of a boost in their incomes during his administration, while the wealthy have enjoyed double-digit increases. The lack of income growth is one reason why the rise in gas prices and the high cost of healthcare have caused such insecurity in the middle class. Democratic focus groups have found rising anger about the income-hike disparity, leading their strategists to think the economy will be a great issue for the midterm elections this fall.
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