New York Times quotes Bush at Notre Dame: “Someone said, ‘It’s a steep hill to climb, Mr. President,’ ” Mr. Bush said. “Well my attitude is, the steeper the better. Because when you get to the top, you realize you’ve left a significant contribution behind.”

It might seem odd for someone to emphasize so the sheer political difficulty of what they are attempting, but it’s a good idea for Bush to talk this way since it accentuates one of his political strengths–the perception that he’s a leader with strong convictions who will do what he thinks is right even in the face of adversity. He’ll need more than that, of course, to climb this particular hill…