Bush Declares Sanctity of Human Life Day:
"Pledging to build a culture that respects life, President Bush is declaring a National Sanctity of Human Life Day.

"As we seek to improve quality of life, overcome illness and promote vital medical research, my administration will continue to honor our country's founding ideals of equal dignity and equal rights for every American," Bush said Tuesday in a document that enacts no change in policy or program.

"By working together to protect the weak, the imperfect and the unwanted, we affirm a culture of hope and help ensure a brighter future for all."

U.N. Predicts 500,000 Iraqi Casualties:
"As many as half a million Iraqis could require medical treatment as a result of serious injuries suffered in the early stages of a war on Iraq, U.N. emergency planners said in a document disclosed Tuesday. "

Rich nations failing to do their part to stop AIDS:
"Rich nations are committing "mass murder by complacency" by failing to contribute enough money to defeat the AIDS (news - web sites) pandemic that is ravaging Africa and killing millions every year, a top U.N. official says. "

George W. Bush designed his entire political career and presidency to make sure he would never face this moment.

The moment where he would pick up USA Today one morning midway through his term and read that his stratospheric approval numbers were dropping because more and more people think he is out of touch with average Americans.

For the first time since 9/11, Mr. Bush's ratings have slipped below 60 percent in a new USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll that reflects growing unease with his approach on the economy and taxes, domestic policy and international threats.

Craig Patterson, a 45-year-old ironworker in St. Louis worried about dwindling construction jobs, summed it up for USA Today: "I trust Bush with my daughter, but I trust Clinton with my job."

Just how much evidence do we need? How much evidence that pretty much every miscue and goof that comes out of the Bush White House will sooner or later be found to have Dick Cheney's fingerprints all over it? The White House is now taking hits on two fronts -- hits which, by most accounts, are the driving factors behind the president's slipping job approval numbers. One of those hits is over the North Korea crisis, the other is tied to the increasingly negative reaction to president's stimulus package. [Talking Points Memo]