IF THERE WAS any doubt that the Bush administration has lost favor with the American public, it should have been dispelled this week.
The week began with students at Brigham Young University circulating a petition asking that the conservative Mormon school rescind an invitation
Then some students at American University lay down in front of Karl Rove's car following the presidential adviser's speech there.
There was no violence and no arrests but the students had to be forcefully removed.
Most disturbing of all, however, was that President Bush, for the second year in a row, declined to throw out the first ball to start the Major League Baseball season. One reported reason was that he was afraid of being booed.
Presidents have traditionally thrown the first ball since William Howard Taft made the initial ceremonial toss to Walter Johnson in 1910. None, save perhaps Richard Nixon in 1974, were afraid of being booed.
It is sad for our country to have a leader who feels he is so unpopular that he can't even mark the start of baseball season without being embarrassed.
But then, Bush has fallen so out of favor with Americans that monthly popularity polls are not even published anymore. Perhaps they are also too embarrassing.
Almost every poll that has anything to do with the Bush administration comes up decidedly negative. The president has passed the stage of being a lame duck. It seems that these days he has no political legs whatsoever.
What about that picture of Dick Cheney standing all by himself out in the White House shrubbery while Bush was holding a press briefing the other day? Has the vice president been literally banned to the bushes or was he hiding out just to make sure Bush didn't say something he wasn't supposed to say?
Strange!
Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a bipartisan group of lawmakers to Syria this week to seek help in resolving the war in Iraq.
Shouldn't that be the job of the Bush Administration? Shouldn't Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice be handling that task or have foreign leaders just given
By the way, what has happened to Rice? Two years ago, she was in the news on a daily basis. I haven't heard anything about her for weeks now.
Despite all the setbacks, the inner circle of the Bush administration (which now seems to include only the president and vice president) has not lost any of its feistiness.
While Pelosi was in Syria trying seeking help with Iraq and the rest of Congress was enjoying a one-week break, Bush appointed a St. Louis businessman to be America's ambassador to Belgium.
According to The Associated Press, Fox contributed $50,000 to the Swift Boat veterans group that sought to discredit Democratic candidate John Kerry's military record during the 2004 presidential campaign.
Knowing that Congress likely would not confirm Fox, Bush withdrew his nomination last week and then made a recess appointment when lawmakers were out of town.
Sneaky!
And in discussing Congress' recent action to link funding of the Iraq War with a withdrawal timetable, Cheney this week growled, "There are not 535 commanders in chief; there is only one commander in chief!"
The number 535, of course, refers to the total number of House and Senate members. Bush also publicly lashed out at Congress for its action.
Such White House response to Congress' Iraq withdrawal demands prompts my nomination for quote of the week.
It was uttered by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who said, "George Bush is president of the United States; he is not king of the United States."
Donnie Johnston: