Bush faces rough end of term

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2007

CRAWFORD, United States (AFP) — US President George W. Bush faces a springtime of discontent, with a former top strategist turned critic, his chief spokesman sidelined with cancer, and top aides in Democratic lawmakers' sights.

The war in Iraq still cripples his public support, and grumbling about the unpopular conflict has grown louder among his Republican allies even as Democrats push to set a timetable for bringing US troops home.

His attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, and his top political strategist, Karl Rove, are embroiled in a controversy over a mass firing of federal prosecutors for what critics say were purely political -- not judicial -- reasons.

While the 2008 election to succeed Bush looms large, these are not just the second-term doldrums that...