When I talk to people about the sad state of the Bush administration lately, we always ask ourselves, “Well, what can he do now?” And I never have an answer, nor does anyone I talk to. Which is a pretty good reason to give way to the kind of despair George Conway expressed today. But, after racking my brain, I have come up with (an admittedly thin) seven-point plan of action:

–Accept an enforcement-only immigration bill. This is a no-brainer. Bush can say, “Look, I love immigrants and we should welcome them, but the only consensus that exists at the moment is for enforcement. That’s why I’m signing a tough enforcement bill, which will enhance our security at a time we face a dire terrorist threat. But I have also extracted a blood-oath commitment from the GOP leadership in the House and the Senate that a proposal for a guest-worker program and bringing illegals out of shadows will be a priority in the new Congress. Once we have better control of our borders, I am confident we can pass sensible, comprehensive, compassionate legislation on this issue,” etc., etc.

–Give some speeches denouncing eminent domain abuse. He can’t do anything about it, of course, but the Republican base will love it and it’s a broadly popular issue, so no one else will be offended.

–Talk about the economy as much as possible, and get a new treasury secretary to try to shift the conversation onto this topic (although I don’t think John Snow is in anyway to blame for the administration’s failed PR campaign on this front).

–Endorse the Ponnuru tax reform plan. Ramesh can spell it out more, but it basically involves an enormous expansion of the child tax credit. It can’t go anywhere this year, but for a party that desperately needs substantive issues to talk about–and ones that aren’t unpopular–it’s a pretty good place to land for the time being.

–Push for the confirmation of his circuit judges that are pending. Talk about them by name. The GOP wins judiciary fights.

–Veto a spending bill. It will make him look strong, and the GOP base will love it. It will embarrass the GOP congress, but, hey, they deserve it, and ultimately the congressional GOP gains when Bush gains.

–Sit-down with conservative bloggers. They are some of his most loyal supporters–include them in the media out-reach.