From The Seattle PI
By Helen Thomas

President Bush has two and a half years in the White House to rescue his legacy from the quagmire of the Iraq war and a dismal record in domestic affairs.

Bush is doing what his predecessors have done in similar predicaments: He’s trying to pull himself out of the hole by tapping new advisers, such as his announcement Wednesday that Fox News commentator Tony Snow will be the new White House press secretary.

Such moves have sometimes helped troubled administrations but they are not usually transforming in a dramatic way.

A clear sign of alarm in Republican ranks is the appointment of former Secretary of State James A. Baker and a host of other elder statesmen to come up with new ideas on Iraq. Baker is co-chairman of the newly congressionally formed Iraq Study Group along with former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind.

This development indicates that Bush’s father — former President George H.W. Bush — may have urged Baker, his close friend, to help bail out the president.

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