The Kiss Of Death

Is there any more of a dead give-away that a campaign is on the defensive over a visit from Pres Bush than when they refer to him as a) the "commander-in-chief" or b) the "leader of the free world?"

Not to pick on Rep. Thelma Drake (R-VA), but she is only the latest to deploy this increasingly frequent tactic: Make a presidential appearance more about the prestige and dignity of the office than about the man occupying it so as to make any attacks on him more anti-President of the United States than anti-George W. Bush.