The Washington Post story investigates the pattern of Presidents running for re-election:

The pattern has repeated itself perfectly. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton all ran for re-election without major challenges from within their own parties -- and all easily won second terms. Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush faced primary challenges while seeking re-election -- and all were ousted in the general election. (11/18/2003)

President Bush is over in Great Britain and meeting with Royalty. He has started his first full day with discussion about terrorism:

"The hope that danger has passed is comforting, is understanding, and it is false," he said. "These terrorists target the innocent and they kill by the thousands. And they would, if they gain the weapons they seek, kill by the millions and not be finished. ... The evil is in plain sight. The danger only increases with denial."

"The failure of democracy in Iraq would throw its people back into misery and turn that country over to terrorists who wish to destroy us," he said. "We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq and pay a bitter cost of casualties and liberate 25 million people, only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins."

Bush called on Israel to freeze settlement construction and dismantle outposts. He said the Palestinians should end any incitement to terrorists in their media, cut off funding to terror groups and establish normal relations with Israel. He asked European nations to do their part, as well, by refusing to support Palestinian leaders who maintain ties with terrorist groups and profit from corruption. (11/19/2003)

One of England’s tabloid reporters broke into Buckingham Palace and has left the Palace staff embarrassed. The White House expressed its confidence in the British Security. The Palace is undertaking one of its famous investigations into the matter. (11/19/2003)

Elizabeth Cheney, leader of the administration's Middle East democracy initiative, will leave her State Department job next month to join President Bush's re-election campaign. Cheney, daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, said Monday that she expects to join a Washington think tank and continue to work on Middle East issues in the private sector while devoting most of her time to politics. As a deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Cheney was given control of the Middle East Partnership Initiative, an evolving project designed to foster increased democracy and economic progress in a troubled region. (11/19/2003)

The LA Times takes on the great divide in this country over President Bush and his subsequent re-election prospects.

On one axis, voters appear to be weighing generally positive assessments of his personal characteristics — from likability and leadership to honesty — against a more ambivalent view of his policies and their impact on the country.

Along another axis, the poll indicates voters are balancing the first flickers of optimism about the economy against growing anxiety over America's progress in Iraq.

Bush’s strength lies in his personal character according to the Times’ poll:

On several personal qualities, Bush scores well. Just over three-fifths of Americans consider him a strong leader; just under three-fifths say they consider him honest and trustworthy.

Beliefs that Bush does not care about the poor are what seeming divide the country:

Democrats lead Bush both among Americans earning less than $40,000 annually and families earning $60,000 to $100,000, the poll found. Bush leads strongly among families clustered right around the median income — those earning between $40,000 to just under $60,000 — and those who earn more than $100,000 a year. (11/20/2003)

The GOP is running an ad for the first time in Iowa before the Democrat’s Debate on Monday. The party is spending $100,000 on the ad that runs until Tuesday.

The ad covers excerpts from Bush’s State of the Union speech, "Our war against terror is a contest of will in which perseverance is power," Bush says after the screen flashes the words, "Some are now attacking the president for attacking the terrorists." (11/21/2003)

The Associated Press in covering the story of the Republican ad on Democrats attacking Bush for fighting terrorism covers the question of Bush’s strength on the issue.

A new Los Angeles Times poll shows a majority of voters disapprove of the way Bush has handled Iraq, and don't think the outcome there has been worth the number of lives lost. Nevertheless, the opinion survey finds that voters trust Bush to make the right decisions in Iraq, and they give him high marks for his handling of the war on terrorism. (11/22/2003)

President Bush sent shock waves in the Christian right when he answered a British reporter’s question as to whether they worship the same god as Christians, according the Washington Post:

"I do say that freedom is the Almighty's gift to every person," the president replied. "I also condition it by saying freedom is not America's gift to the world. It's much greater than that, of course. And I believe we worship the same god."

The head of the Richard D. Land, president of the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention:

We should always remember that he is commander in chief, not theologian in chief," Land said in a telephone interview yesterday. "The Bible is clear on this: The one and true god is Jehovah, and his only begotten son is Jesus Christ."

American Muslims had a different response:

Sayyid M. Syeed, secretary general of the Islamic Society of North America, responded to Bush's statement with a single word: Alhamdullah, Thanks be to God.

"We read again and again in the Koran that our god is the god of Abraham, the god of Noah, the god of Jesus," he said. "It would not come to the mind of a Muslim that there is a different god that Abraham or Jesus or Moses was praying to." (11/22/2003)

MoveOn.org, is blasting President George Bush for losing jobs. MoveOn.org is the fastest growing independent political action committee and it’s non-profit. The organization has raised $5 million so far and likely will surpass its $10 million goal. Multibillionaire George Soros and Progressive Insurance founder Peter Lewis last week announced they would match contributions up to $5 million, meaning the ad fund potentially could reach $15 million.

The Washington-based group boasts a membership of about 1.8 million. The bash Bush ad is currently running in Washington D.C.

"George Bush is doing something Bill Clinton didn't do ... his father didn't do ... not Reagan, or Carter, or Ford, or Nixon ... Not LBJ, or JFK ... Not Eisenhower, or Harry Truman ... Not in any of FDR's four terms," an announcer says as pictures of the former presidents fill the screen.

The ad then says Bush is on track to be the first president since Herbert Hoover to end his term with a net job loss record.

"Didn't George Bush say his tax cuts would create jobs?" the announcer asks. (11/22/2003)

A national poll shows Bush would win: In a direct run against Bush, Gen. Wesley Clark fares the best among registered voters (Clark 42%, Bush 49%), closely followed by Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (Kerry 41%, Bush 49%).

Bush would beat any of three other Democrats, 52 percent to 39 percent, in a direct match: Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt, Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, or Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Against Bush, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards would lose, 38 percent to 52 percent.

When registered Democrats are asked which Democratic presidential nominee they would vote for, Dean edges out Clark 14 percent to 12 percent, followed Lieberman (11%), Kerry (9%), Gephardt (6%), then Edwards and the Rev. Al Sharpton (5%). (11/22/2003)

The Campaign Manager Ken Mehlman for Bush Cheney says the campaign is about security and money in our pockets. Mehlman made the remarks at the Republican Governors Conference in Florida, according to the LA Times:

"Eleven months from now, we will choose between victory in Iraq or insecurity in America," he said. "Eleven months from now, we will choose between more money in the pockets of America's families or more money in the coffers of the federal government in Washington. And 11 months from now, we will choose between a leader of principle or a politician of protest, of pandering and of pessimism."  (11/23/2003)

The Time’s cover story about President Bush demonstrates the nation’s growing division:

For years pollsters said America was a 40-40-20 country—that is, 40% Republican, 40% Democrat and 20% independent. Now, they say, it's a 45-45-10 nation—with even fewer than that 10% truly up for grabs.

The article explains that for many the question of whether you like or hate Bush is about how you perceive him personally:

But for many, it's not so much Bush's policies or programs that make them adore or despise him, but the very way he carries himself—their sense of George Bush as a man. To some, the way that Bush walks and talks and smiles is the body language of courage and self-assurance, and of someone who shares their values. But to others, it is the swagger and smirk that signals the certainty of the stubbornly simpleminded. "I like Bush's manner," says Kathie Tenner, a retired teacher in Des Moines, Iowa. "To me, he's very quiet and sincere, just kind of down home, not really trying to put on a lot of airs." "He comes across as an idiot," says Chicago attorney Sue Zalewski. "I know that, technically, he's not an idiot. But the way he says things can really use some work. He can be so uncouth." (11/24/2003)

Bush plans to sandwich fund-raising stops in Las Vegas and Phoenix with appearances at senior citizen centers in each city to tout the passage of legislation overhauling Medicare.

President Bush  pardoned two turkeys named Stars and Stripes and fired off a quip that the second one is on standby just like the Vice President. Before going to his ranch in Crawford, TX for Thanksgiving, Bush also took time to pay tribute to American soldiers at Fort Carson, Colo. He expressed the nation’s gratitude for the sacrifice that the military is making on behalf of democracy, tolerance and the rights and dignity of every people. The Washington Times reports that the President’s sentiments were heartfelt:

"Here, you have felt loss. Every person who dies in the line of duty leaves a family that lives in sorrow and comrades who must go on without them. The Fort Carson community said farewell to some of your best," he said.

But Mr. Bush said each soldier has "answered a great calling."

"You live by a code of honor, in service to your nation, for the safety and security of your fellow citizens… "You and I have taken an oath to defend America. We're meeting that duty together, and I'm proud to be the commander in chief of the greatest military, full of the finest people on the face of this earth."

The President singled out the loss of Staff Sgt. Daniel Bader by quoting his wife Tiffany.

"Tiffany Bader said this to a reporter recently, 'I'm going to wait until she is old enough to realize what happened, and I will tell her exactly what her daddy did for her. He died serving his country so that my little girl could grow up free.' "

Mr. Bush said the courage of Sgt. Bader and his wife "show the spirit of this country in the face of great adversity."

"And all our military families that mourn can know this: Our nation will never forget the sacrifice their loved one made to protect us all." (11/25/2003)

The Washington Post has a story with a headline that compares President Bush to Richard Nixon and then goes on to say how much more like Ronald Reagan Bush is. The title of the article is after Roger Ailes’ book, The Making of the President with the twist Nixon Bush after it. The book shows how President Bush uses the centralized control method of Nixon (and it might be added, Franklin Roosevelt…) in managing his White House, but uses the style of Reagan to create policy and communicate. IPW would recommend that they review Stephen Hess’s work on this subject. (11/25/2003)

President Bush received some extra sweets before his Thanksgiving dinner. The Medicare victory was sweetened by news that the economy surged at a blistering 8.2 percent annual rate in the third quarter, and that consumer confidence in November climbed to its highest level in a year. On top of that, Bush collected another $3 million for his campaign, bringing his re-election fund to at least $105 million. Bush also received news that he leads all Democrat candidates in Florida by 20 percent. The better news was that Brad Coker, director of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc., said Mr. Bush's 54 percent approval on conduct of the war and 52 percent voter confidence on the economy means "it will be very difficult for the Democrats to win in Florida" next year.

So on the “Peace and Prosperity,” he seems that he should be moving ahead on half of it in more and more voters’ opinions. (11/26/2003)

Reuters has a story about Neil Bush (the third child of George and Barbra Bush) that details his deposition in his divorce from wife Sharon.  It details his business deals and admission to extramarital sex with women in Asia:

Message to Israel?

Pitchman Carville at it again

Bush visits Baghdad

·        A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Bush would call "a number of" soldiers. The official did not provide specifics, but at least one of the intended recipients of the president's personal thanks is recovering in Germany from injuries suffered in the Iraq war.