The Senate elected officials have to be more sensitive to constituency issues than does the president. We're beginning to see the beginning of the lame duck factor.
Bush is the most aggressive user of executive power since Richard Nixon.
In the short run, it gives them a breather. New people always gain a fair amount of attention.
It's been the least successful year of his presidency.
They're up for election, and he's not. We're moving into crunch time very quickly, and they are obviously afraid of the political fallout.
I don't see it going anywhere, unless there's a crisis.
There have been occasions such as the 1988 debate involving Dan Quayle when questions were raised about whether the candidate was capable. The vice presidential debates don't matter until people mess up.
