US News reports that Cheney and Bush are hunkering down and worrying only about their right wing base. They are girding for battle. And, Cheney is the designated pit bull in the relationship:
Cheney is described by White House insiders as combative and eager to rally the GOP faithful. Behind the scenes, Cheney is feeding Bush's instinct never to give ground when under attack, White House advisers say, despite rising concern among Republicans that the president doesn't realize the depth of his political trouble.Bush has always been unaware. But, it seems fun knowing that Cheney is pulling the strings now. Great job. What is clear is that George Bush cares about what Dick Cheney says and what the right wing thinks:
President Bush, meanwhile, is thinking in bigger terms. Friends say he has decided that he will never catch a break from the Democrats or the media--on the CIA case or anything else--so he will govern from the right, as he did on most issues in his first term. "He seems content to remain a 51-percent president, unlike other presidents who wanted to increase their job approval far beyond that," says a friend. "In fact, as long as he gets one more vote than the other side, he seems happy."This all begs the question of how you can be a 51-percent president when you have a 35-percent approval rating.
