Bush’s two biggest burdens By David Broder

The factors that make President Bush a vulnerable incumbent have almost nothing to do with his opponent, John Kerry. They stem directly from two closely linked high-stakes policy gambles that Bush chose on his own. Neither has worked out as he hoped.

The first gamble was the decision to attack Iraq; the second, to avoid paying for the war. …

If Bush can win re-election despite the failure of his two most consequential — and truly radical — decisions, he will truly be a political miracle man. But as his own nominating convention approaches, the odds are against him. …

Bush finds himself defending the loss of more than 1 million jobs during his tenure — the first president, as Democrats love to point out, since Herbert Hoover to suffer an actual job loss in office. The 32,000 jobs added to the economy in July were the smallest number this year, raising fears that the recovery proclaimed last spring may be losing steam. …

The president has suffered other blows to his credibility…. But they pale in importance compared to Iraq and the economy. In The Washington Post’s polls every month since January, more voters have voiced disapproval of his performance on those two issues than approval.

Time is short for changing people’s minds. Bush is dragging two huge weights – and he has no one to blame but himself.