Backgrounder: Bush´s two year view

Source: CCTV.com | 01-24-2007 16:00

In addition, George W. Bush has turned to domestic issues where he hopes to find more common ground with Democrat lawmakers. Analysts say the change in focus signals shifting relations between domestic and foreign policies in the US.

When President Bush stepped on the podium just a year ago, he rebuked critics of his stay-the-course strategy for the unpopular war in Iraq.

Back then, few democrats applauded his initiatives.

And this year, even fewer are showing their approval.

With a newly-dominant Democrat Party, support is building around a resolution opposing Bush's plan to send more than 20-thousand extra troops to Iraq.

Carl Levin, chairman senate armed services committee, said, "This resolution, in addition to saying that we do not support increased troops, deeper military involvement, also calls for the transition of our military mission to a more limited one of training, counter-terrorism and protecting the territorial integrity of Iraq."

Deeply troubled by what seems to be never ending troubles in the Iraq war, the President has sought to push a domestic agenda against a heavy tide of criticism over Iraq.

This year's State of the Union Address focused on a few issues such as energy and health care and the President hopes to find common ground with the Democrat-controlled congress.

Zhang Guoqing, professor Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, "The root cause for the problems is low public support for Bush. Besides the war in Iraq, this situation is partly due to Bush's poor performance in handling domestic policies. For the President to have any success in his last two years, changes in domestic policies have to be made, not just symbolically, but substantively."

But Analysts believe that for Bush to regain public support, he must do even more.

And what the Bush administration achieves in the next two years will affect the presidential election in 2008.

But with America already turning its eyes to the presidential season, Bush will need to act quickly to make real progress before his term runs out.

Editor:Du Xiaodan