One Way Elevator

Steve Soto tells us the new AP poll shows Bush's approval rating is at 44% with disapproval at 54%. Reasons given for the steady decline in Bush's approval include Social Security and the Terri Schiavo fiasco. Today David Ignatius takes a look at the plummeting polls and I think he may have nailed it. The people that voted for Bush did so because they thought he was a "leader" and now he doesn't look or act like one.

To me that's the heart of Bush's problem. He's swinging for the fences, on everything from Iraq to Social Security. But leadership isn't just about soaring rhetoric; it's about responsible stewardship. And in the end, it's about solving problems. Perhaps that's the real reason the president has lost momentum since that remarkable Inauguration Day speech. The country elected him to be a leader, not a barnstormer.

Too bad a few more voters didn't see the light before the November election.