Stuart Rothenberg People Quotations

President Bush's poll numbers are already pretty bad, and there has been some concern among people about the long vacation while there is a perception that things aren't going so well. I hate to say it, but some of the role a leader plays after a disaster is public relations.

He does not have a reservoir of good will, either in Congress or in the country. People in Congress are looking for ways to disagree with him. Democrats don't seem intimidated by him. And the public doesn't see him as honest, forthright or as much as a leader as they did a year ago. He's considerably weaker.

These numbers suggest an electorate ripe for an 'it's-time-for-change' argument. They don't like the way things are going, and they are blaming the people in charge.

The Kerry people have to keep their focus on George W. Bush and attacking the president's policies, particularly on Iraq. To the extent that Bill Clinton suddenly becomes a campaign issue, I don't think that's an asset for the challenger.