Iraq and a hard place

摘要

President Bush wants guns (Iraq) and butter (tax cuts). The cost of having it both ways is mounting, for him as well as for the country. On September 7th, he presented the latest instalment of the Iraq bill: $87 billion next year. He did it in a nationally televised speech, a sure sign of how much his political future depends on events in the Gulf. Usually, Mr Bush's set-piece speeches turn public opinion to his advantage. This one did not. A Washington Post poll found 61% of respondents opposed to granting the extra money. As Stan Greenberg, a Democratic pollster, pointed out, this would be the first time in the Bush presidency that the bully pulpit has failed to swing the public.