Clearly, the ability of President Bush to maintain relevance in his second term will have a great impact on the presidential selection process for both parties. A “lame duck” president will accelerate the call for a new party standard bearer along with pressure to challenge the administration. Conversely, a strong and popular President Bush will find aspiring Republican nominees positioning more closely to his policies.

To that end, today’s Washington Post says Bush yesterday “dismissed” accusations his influence “is waning less than six months into his second term.” Instead, Bush blamed Democrats and “timidity” in Congress for failure to enact some of his policies.