Bush's problem -- standing on his own

Ron Fournier, the AP's national political correspondent, offers an insightful analysis of President Bush's post-election problems -- it's all about him now.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Fearing that President Bush's political problems may become their own, Republicans in Congress and elsewhere are beginning to yearn for the good old days of seven months ago, when he had somebody to run against.

Voters were worried in November about the economy and the war in Iraq, but they didn't take it out on the incumbent on Election Day. They are now.

Bush's poll ratings are among the worst since he took office, declining in virtually every category since his win over Democratic Sen. John Kerry. From his handling of the economy, foreign policy and the war in Iraq to his job approval rating and voters' assessment of the country's direction, the president's political scores are in serious decline.

One reason is that voters are no longer judging him in comparison to Kerry. Bush, like other second-term presidents, is facing the prospect of lame-duck status. He's up against his own record, in a sense, and that's never an easy task.

"In a vacuum, all the dissatisfaction is put on the White House," said GOP consultant Charles Black, who argued that Bush should draw more attention to upbeat economic numbers. The Bush campaign succeeded in its 2004 strategy - to make the election a referendum on Kerry and not the incumbent. Now, every day is a referendum on Bush.

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