Who Sets The Agenda Now?

Political strategists of both parties are predicting that both President Bush and the Democratic majority in Congress will have trouble controlling the agenda within about six months.

That's because the 2008 presidential campaign has started so early and the flock of candidates is expected to effectively frame the debate. The mainstream media, led by the large political punditocracy that has grown bored by Washington issues and especially the Bush White House, wants to move beyond the Bush era, the professional strategists say.

"The voters are three to six months away from tuning out" the current political Establishment, says a GOP insider. "This will cause a lot of frustration at the White House and on Capitol Hill."

By Kenneth T. Walsh