George bush likes to pretend that he is above party politics: just a regular guy trying to do his best for the country. He has always made a great to-do about reaching across party lines: remember how he wooed Ted Kennedy over education reform. And he takes every opportunity to escape from Washington's partisan bickering for the bracing common sense of his Texas ranch. Don't believe a word of it. Mr Bush is as partisan a president as America has had. The laid-back Mr Bush is, in fact, a whirlwind of partisan energy. He has spent more time on the campaign trail than any of his predecessors, and raised far more money for next month's elections ($140m and counting). He plans to hit the road for 14 straight days before the election, sweeping through as many as four states a day and visiting all those with tight Senate races. Mr Bush has used a disputed election victory to push through a strikingly radical agenda, on everything from tax cuts to military pre-emption. At the same time, he has refashioned the Republican Party in his easy-going image, urging it to swap the angry snarl of Gingrichism for the smiling face of compassionate conservatism. Previous presidents have used placemen to keep an eye on the party machinery. Mr Bush has centralised control of the party in the White House. Karl Rove, Mr Bush's closest adviser, has a hand in everything from shaping high policy to choosing local candidates.
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