10 Ideas for Bush to Bounce Back

President Bush is now down to 26% popularity in the new Newsweek poll. That's below Jimmy Carter's nadir of 28% and getting close to Nixon's 23%. Is there any way to come back from this mess? Not easily but I think there are a few ways. Without charging exorbitant consulting fees, I offer these tips to raise GWB's popularity and stay true to his principles:

1. Accept defeat on immigration. You tried to do a big thing and you should get credit for it. But it ain't happening so why prolong the agony? Just accept a border security bill that everyone can rally around and propose a small, pilot program on temporary workers. You can spend all that's left of your measly political capital on this thing but it probably won't pass and if it does the GOP nominee in all liklihood will vow to undo it. What kind of legacy is that?

2. Put Laura Front and Center. People still like her. But her literacy and breast cancer initiatives are well known by now and when was the last time you saw her on TV. Time for her to take on a new issue, childhood obesity. It's a sleeper issue and all your working out and hers gives you treet cred. It gives you common cause with persons of all political stripes. All parents worry about what they're kids are eating? Why not capitalize on this?

3. Tax Simplification/Reform. This was the great domestic initiative of Reagan's second term, uniting him with the likes of Bill Bradley and Richard Gephardt. This will rally your base and put the Dems on the defensive because everyone hates the current system. As long as you have to fix the Alternative Minimum Tax, why not go all the way? Conventional Wisdom says it's too late but what have you got to lose? Plus if anyone can sell it, it's Henry Paulson?

4. Mideast tour. You won't come back with anything by visitng the countries in the region, that's a given. But by going to the West Bank and Israel and Lebanon you'll show some engagement and look less out of touch. Nixon's spring '74 trip to Egypt didn't stop his fall but it helped a bit.

5, Climate Change. You moved a long way at the G-8 summit towards the rest of the world but no one domestically gives you credit for it. Time to call the bipartisan congressional leadership together to hammer out a new plan. Make them trade Arctic Drilling for higher auto fuel standards. The Gore concerts are coming up. Why not take advantage of this moment instead of cowering. Also, you can push back. The Clinton-Gore 90s gave us the SUV and no EPA coverage of greenhouse gases so they should quit yapping at you and get to work on new solutions.

6. Give Cheney a Nixon-to-China Assignment. Of course, he's fantastically unpopular except with what's left of the base. Part of the problem is that he seems like a menacing Darth Vader with no portfolio. Give him a task force to root out corporate welfare. The irony of Mr. Haliburton doing it won't be lost on anyone, but no one's going to question his competance and you'll get some Nixon-to-China credit.

7. Propose Making Puerto Rico a State. The GOP has been setback with Hispanics on immigration so you need to do something dramatic to show that you care embrace the Latinization of America, even if you're the victim of Rush Limbaugh and the GOP presidential candidates killing your plan. Nothing'll happen and the people there are still inclined to stay in commonweath status so it won't go anywhere. But symbolically it's a good issue. Gerald Ford did this to dramatic effect after Carter defeated him. Time is right to bring it back.

8. Violence and Children initiative. Who better than a gunslinger like you to go after violence in kids films and videogames? All parents worry about this and you could learn a little from Dick Morris about the hot button positive. It united Christian Conservatives and Public Television Democrats.

9. Take the Food Stamp challenge. Members of Congress are living on the three dollars a day that Food Stamp recipients often have to live on. Join them. Yes, it's gimmicky but it illustrates an important point and strengthens your compassionate conservative bona fides. Then support giving them more money by paying for it by cutting oil and other corporate subsidies that you already oppose anyway. You rightly came out against them but no one gave you credit. This gives you a chance to show you hate pork but you have a big heart and that you're not out of touch.

10. Peace in Our Time. You need to cut the grand compromise with Democrats on Iraq. Inevitably it's the next president that's going to withdraw troops anyway, so agree to a timetable that begins some, but not complet, withdrawal in 2008. That's not emboldening the enemy, only conceeding political reality and the fact that the Army is already strained. You don't want a timetable for complete withdrawal but at least some withdrawal is a place where you can give. Besides, it'll happen anyway.