Port Deal Threatens Bush's Standing in GOP
WASHINGTON — Republicans' raucous rebellion against the White House on a port management deal has proved to be a crucial juncture in George W. Bush's presidency, signaling how dramatically his vise-like grip on the GOP has been loosened in his second term.
It also serves to underscore a fundamental political reality: Most Republicans in Congress are up for reelection in 2006, and Bush is not.
For the first time, Bush is facing pointed, emotional opposition across the GOP political spectrum. From senior leaders to backbenchers, congressional Republicans are showing a rare willingness to go public with their criticism of his administration's decision to allow an Arab company to manage terminals at several large U.S. ports -- a remarkable development for a White House notoriously intolerant of dissent.
A key question is whether the port imbroglio is an episode that will pass without lasting political effect or whether it will permanently damage Bush's position in the party, especially among the conservative base that sparked the opposition to the deal.
Panicked lawmakers fear that Bush, with no reelection bid facing him, was insensitive to the port decision's political risks and that Democrats now have an election-year opportunity to portray themselves as tougher in fighting terrorism than the president and his allies.
"His political antennae are totally different right now," said Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.). House Republicans, he continued, have given Bush this message in private meetings: "You've developed a tin ear. You're not running, and you don't understand what we are hearing at the grass roots."
But if Bush alienates conservatives with his stands on port management, immigration and other hot-button issues, some analysts say that in the 2006 midterm elections, he may not be the unalloyed political asset he was in past campaigns.
"I don't think he will be a liability, but his potency to go in and campaign for a candidate may be significantly eroded," conservative activist Paul M. Weyrich said.
For now, Bush remains popular among Republican voters. He is still in demand as a fundraiser and campaigner; on Thursday, he attended political events for two Republicans, Rep. Chris Chocola of Indiana and Sen. Mike DeWine of Ohio.
"If the members on the ground thought the president was a burden, they wouldn't be welcoming him to their district, but they are proud to stand with him," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said.
