Repubs in retreat?

House Republicans, usually so full of themselves they'll cram whatever they please down the throat of the minority Dems, have done a complete reversal on ethics rules, which they had changed to try to shield their leader, Tom DeLay.

There are signs on the Senate Finance Committee that GOP support for Bush's Social Security changes is weakening, and the votes may not be there to force straight party-line passage.

And John Bolton's nomination as UN ambassador may be in trouble in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, again because some Republicans are wavering.

Mandate or no mandate, when it comes to politics the first rule is self-preservation, and when the leadership, whether in the Congress or the White House, gets crossways with public opinion, all bets are off.