ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD
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BODY POLITIC by Jack Archibald, Atlantic Highlands Councilman

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GEORGE W HAS TIME TO BOUNCE BACK IN POPULARITY

Even if you are a fan of W, these past few weeks have been tough. Largely through no fault of his own, the President has seen his job approval rating slip and fall to the lowest levels since he took office. With over three years left in the term, the President has plenty of time to rebound and reverse the course of the past month.

Just a few weeks ago, the test for President Bush was going to be the nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court. Two hurricanes later, his biggest domestic mission for the rest of his Presidency will be to rebuild the shores of our Gulf States. In could be argued that the devastation caused by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina have shifted the focus away from the fight for the Supreme Court and thus make it easier for Bush push through his second nominee.

Just in case the Democrats are spoiling for a fight, the President has been cautious in putting a choice forward for what has been characterized as the swing vote. He has no such leeway in moving to rebuild the southern states and the administration must put a bold reconstruction plan forward in the coming weeks. The public has already requested a couple of scalps for the disaster, and former FEMA Director Michael Brown and the New Orleans police chief have lost their jobs as a result of the dissatisfaction.

The other Gulf continues to trouble the President as well. Many Americans do not see an end game in Iraq, and our troops are being stretched to the limit. Between Iraq, Afghanistan and now our own Southeast, the military continues to amaze with their ability to function in the midst of chaos.

Fortunately for W supporters, the President has an uncanny ability to turn things around. He has been a visible presence along the Gulf, and the preparation for Rita showed that the government did learn a few lessons. The President must continue to focus on his gigantic tasks at hand, because his Presidency may very well be judged on how well he performs in the coming months.